NACDL is the preeminent organization in the United States advancing the mission of the nation’s criminal defense bar. Its more than 8,000 direct members – and 90 state, local and international affiliate organizations with another 40,000 members – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, U.S. military defense counsel, law professors, and judges committed to preserving fairness within America’s criminal justice system. Its expertise embraces ensuring the implementation and preservation of fundamental constitutional rights related to criminal justice primarily as enumerated in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.
NACDL strives to achieve a society where all individuals receive fair, rational, and humane treatment within the criminal justice system. Its mission is to serve as a leader, alongside diverse coalitions, in identifying and reforming flaws and inequities in the criminal justice system, and redressing systemic racism, and ensuring that its members and others in the criminal defense bar are fully equipped to serve all accused persons at the highest level.