Palm Beach County Office of the Public Defender

06/24/2026

Thank you to our Assistant Public Defenders Danielle Berkowtiz and Abe Hoffman for recently volunteering with the Youth Court! Youth Court is used to administer the Juvenile First Offender Program. Not only does Youth Court serve as a great diversion program, but it also allows juvenile volunteers to serve as jury, prosecutor, defense attorney and clerk under attorney mentorship.

06/22/2026

The Florida Bar held its 2026 Annual Convention this past week. Amid the festivities, various Bar committees were hard at work. PD15 is proud that several of our attorneys are members participating on Bar committees helping to create the rules governing how the law is applied across Florida. Chief APD Christine Geraghty (Criminal Procedure Rules Committee), APD Benjamin Eisenberg (Appellate Rules Committee), and APD Diahanne Chester (not pictured) (Juvenile Procedure Rules Committee), met with their respective committees during the convention.

06/19/2026

06/17/2026

Today, in a case argued by our own Ethan Goldberg, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal held unconstitutional Florida’s statute criminalizing the possession of a concealed firearm by law-abiding, 18-20 year-old adults. In recognition of the importance of our Second Amendment rights, the Court wrote: “We conclude that all those in the age of majority have the same rights to public carry, which includes the right to concealed carry.”

See the whole opinion here:

06/16/2026

PD15 is happy to announce that this week SCOTUS granted certiorari on the case of Kian v. Florida, where our attorney, Paul Petillo, argues Florida’s law allowing for juries comprised of only 6 jurors to decide a felony criminal case is unconstitutional and the U.S. Constitution requires juries of 12 people. PD15 is proud to have been at the forefront of litigating this issue in Florida courts and now at the Supreme Court.

Read more here: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/15/supreme-court-review-floridas-use-six-person-jury/

06/11/2026

Thank you to our Youth Defense Chief Maegan Young for representing our office at a panel discussion put on by the Palm Beach County Reentry Alliance for 2nd Chance Month. Maegan spoke to pastors and the faith community on how their congregations can provide meaningful assistance to individuals returning to the community from prison and jail. As an office we see every day how meaningfully reintegrating individuals from the criminal justice system helps not only those people, but the broader community.

06/08/2026

This May our Public Defender Daniel Eisinger joined State Attorney Alexcia Cox at the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches trustee meeting for a discussion on how public safety, workforce participation, mental health, rehabilitation, and the justice system intersect with the long-term strength of our business community. Our office is continually focused on the issues that affect our clients lives so that our clients and entire community will ultimately benefit.

06/04/2026

https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5322&context=penn_law_review

06/01/2026

Public Defender Daniel Eisinger and Assistant Public Defender Raymon Burns recently got the chance to speak with EJS Project, a local non-profit group doing incredible work educating and empowering young people.

05/28/2026

Our Gideon Award Ceremony in April was a great reminder of the incredibly supportive criminal defense community in Palm Beach County (and beyond) that we’re fortunate to be a part of. Thank you again to all the event sponsors, attendees, PD-15 employees, and our awardee Maria DeLiberato.