NDAA joins with organizations and communities around the country in denouncing the racial injustices of recent weeks and those of the past that have limited the potential of our country and eroded the opportunities that people of color should have as a fundamental human right. NDAA’s mission is to support prosecutors in “their efforts to protect the rights and safety of the people by providing its members with the knowledge, skills, and support they need to ensure justice is attained”. To ensure justice is attained, equal justice must be applied on behalf of all people. NDAA is committed to shedding light on the racial injustices in the criminal justice system, encouraging its members to recognize and end this inequity and to consistently do their part to ensure fair, impartial, and equal justice under the law.

Over the last week, NDAA canvassed some of its members from around the country to get a sample of jurisdictional responses to the spread of the coronavirus as the criminal justice system works to ensure the safety of communities while also protecting staff, defendants, inmates and maintaining constitutional obligations they swore to uphold, such as the right to a speedy trial.

On Monday May 25, 2020, 46-year-old George Floyd tragically and unnecessarily lost his life over the allegation that he passed a counterfeit bill. As appropriate steps are taken to ensure the effective and fair administration of justice, several immediate observations must be made regarding the case.