People v. MNB, 2025 Mich. App. LEXIS 1591 (Mich. Ct. App. 2025)

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“In this delinquency proceeding, a jury found the juvenile respondent, MNB, guilty of misdemeanor assault and battery, MCL 750.81(1). The trial court entered an order of disposition and placed MNB on probation for six months. MNB now appeals by right. We reverse and remand.”

National Youth Defense Townhall Notes

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On August 29, 2024, the Gault Center hosted a National Youth Defense Townhall focused on the role of youth defenders in transforming the juvenile legal system. The Townhall outlined a theory of change rooted in cultivating critical connections to harness our collective power to transform systems of harm and punishment. In attendance were nearly 200…

Razing and Rebuilding Delinquency Courts: Demolishing the Flawed Philosophical Foundation of Parens Patriae

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Challenging the Status Quo: Mobilizing Youth Defense Teams to Uphold Youth Rights & Uproot Injustice

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This Racial Justice Webinar was hosted by the Gault Center and Georgetown Law’s Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative on May 29, 2024. The webinar focused on a collective call to action for the youth defense community to transform the juvenile legal system by centering youth and their constitutional rights to freedom, liberty, and equality. This…

A Checklist to Assess the Presence of a Constitutional Violation under 34 U.S.C. 12601

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This checklist can be used to assess the presence of constitutional violations throughout the course of a client’s case. Please refer to the National Youth Defense Systems Standards and their accompanying User Guide for litigation strategies to challenge potential constitutional violations noted in this checklist.

National Youth Defense System Standards User Guide

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This User Guide provides advocates with a step-by-step outline of how to actualize the vision of the National Youth Defense System Standards to equip and invest in youth defense teams to fight for the liberation of all youth. The User Guide outlines constitutional rights detailed in the System Standards, provides a checklist to assess the…

From Suspension to Mass Incarceration: Punishment of Students with Special Needs and the School-to-Prison Pipeline

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From the abstract: “Since their inception in the late 1980s, zero-tolerance policies have been a cornerstone of American school discipline. Passed by legislators with the intent of protecting school children, these policies have disparately upended the education of marginalized students. School discipline of vulnerable students often paves the way to juvenile incarceration, which in turn…

Amicus Brief: In the Interest of D.C.M.

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Appeal from the Circuit Court of Pemiscot County, Division I Thirty-Fourth Judicial Circuit, Pemiscot County No. 18PE-JU00022 The Honorable W. Keith Currie, Judge

Statement of Interest in Hurrell-Harring

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Statement of Interest in Wilbur v. City of Mount Vernon

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State Settlement Agreement, U.S. v. Lauderdale

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City Settlement Agreement, U.S. v. Lauderdale

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Complaint, U.S. v. Lauderdale

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Memorandum of Agreement Regarding the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County

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Why (Jury-Less) Juvenile Courts Are Unconstitutional

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Kids Will be Kids: Time for a “Reasonable Child” Standard for the Proof of Objective Mens Rea Elements

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Overmedication and Misdiagnoses Guide

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National Youth Defense System Standards

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Outlines steps that states must take to comply with the minimum requirements of the U.S. Constitution to protect the rights of youth facing deprivations of liberty.

In the Interest of J.A.T.

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In the Interest of C.A.R.A.

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Only Young Once: Alabama’s Overreliance on School Pushout and For-Profit Youth Incarceration 

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Making Children Pay: The Hidden Cost to Kansas of Juvenile Fines and Fees

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From the introduction: “The goal of the Kansas juvenile legal system is ‘to promote public safety, hold juvenile offenders accountable for their behavior and improve their ability to live more productively and responsibly in their community.’ Evidence shows that juvenile fees and fines do the opposite. This report outlines the ways in which fees and…

Due Process in the Time of COVID: Defenders as First Responders in a Juvenile Court System Struggling with the COVID-19 Pandemic

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In February and March 2020, as COVID-19 spread throughout the United States, NJDC recognized a crisis facing youth involved in the juvenile courts and the attorneys tasked with defending them. The contagious nature of COVID-19 and the public health protocols meant to mitigate transmission heightened risks to the health and wellbeing of youth entering the…

Honoring Gault: Ensuring Access to Counsel in Delinquency Proceedings

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Every jurisdiction is different and has different resources and laws governing whether children have access to counsel and at what stage in the proceedings. The recommendations that follow may be more difficult to implement in some jurisdictions than others. It is hoped that to the extent the recommendations cannot be fully implemented within your jurisdiction,…

DOJ Statement of Interest in N.P. v. Georgia

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