Online: Tracking the Unprecedented: Cataloging Federal Criminal Prosecutions in an Era of Overreach #678

Presenter: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Talk: “If you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.” The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) built the Criminal Case Tracker to document something that largely doesn’t exist elsewhere: a structured, searchable record of federal prosecutions that depart from historical norms. This session will walk through how and why the Tracker was built—from identifying a gap in public data to designing a system that can capture, classify, and surface patterns in federal charging decisions. NACDL Executive Director Lisa Wayne and Chief Operating Officer Steven Logan will discuss both the policy motivations behind the project and the technical approach used to turn disparate case information into a usable, queryable dataset. The Tracker enables users to explore cases by statute, conduct, jurisdiction, and outcome—but its broader purpose is civic. By making these prosecutions visible and searchable, the project creates a foundation for analysis, reporting, and accountability.

Bios: Lisa Monet Wayne is the Executive Director of NACDL and the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice. A past president of NACDL, she brings nearly four decades of experience as a criminal defense attorney in private practice and 13 years as a Colorado State Public Defender, having represented hundreds of individuals and corporations in federal and state courts nationwide. She has testified before the U.S. Sentencing Commission, lectured broadly through NACDL, Harvard Law School’s Trial Practice Institute, the National Criminal Defense College, and numerous bar associations, and has served as a legal analyst for major media outlets and as an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the University of Colorado for 22 years.

Steven Logan is the Chief Operating Officer of NACDL, where he oversees daily operations and business functions including technology, website, procurement, and facilities. During his tenure at NACDL, he has led and managed several significant initiatives, including the Return to Freedom Project, the Federal COVID-19 and D.C. Compassionate Release Projects, the Cannabis Justice Initiative, and the NACDL/FAMM State Clemency Project.