01/24/13 01/24/13 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from park city, utah, this is "democracy now!" we are broadcasting from the sundance film festival. >> i personally prefer to have potential ichallenging career tt rather than a long one that is filled with mediocrity, feeling as if you don't make a difference to people.

>> 40 years ago this week, the supreme court decided roe v. wade. a new documentary is out called "after tiller." bid follows for of the few doctors left in the united states who openly provide abortions in the third trimester. in 2009, their colleague dr. george tiller was assassinated while attending church in wichita, kansas. then, "gideon's army." >> the beauty of this system is set up to give people the presumption of innocence, to give them an opportunity to not just be heard, but hold the state accountable. you want to take my liberty, you got to do it right. if you don't, acquit. >> that years ago, the supreme court ruled everyone has a right to a lawyer in a criminal case.

a new documentary follows a group of young public defenders in the deep south who contend with the day-to-day life of low pay, long hours, and staggering caseloads. we will speak with one of those lawyers, then, cara mertes, director of the sentence documentary film program. >> we need to get started quickly. challenges and solutions. i think a film is a perfect muscle to transmit these stories to the many people who need to hear them. >> all five of this year's academy award documented dr. documentaries played at sundance. all of that and more coming up. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the pentagon has confirmed plans to lift the longstanding military ban on women in combat.

the move will overturn a 1994 rule that formally barred women from taking on front-line roles, although in reality, thousands of women have still fought. in being officially allowed to serve in combat roles, women will be afforded opportunities for medals of recognition as well as for advancement to positions they have been unable to pursue. defense secretary leon panetta reportedly came to the decision based on recommendations from the joint chiefs of staff, who wrote -- "the time has come to eliminate all unnecessary gender-based barriers to service." the republican controlled house has passed a measure to lift the debt ceiling until may, avoiding another new showdown with president obama for a least a few months. the move would temporarily suspend the federal government's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit until may 18 without the dollar for dollar spending cuts that republicans have demanded. in a bid to pressure the senate,

the legislation calls for withholding the salaries of lawmakers if one of the chambers of congress fails to pass a budget blueprint by mid april. the senate is expected to approve the measure this week. the u.s. appears to be escalating its drone war in yemen with yet another deadly attack. at least six people were killed in northern yemen on wednesday in the fifth u.s. strike in as many days. the drone reportedly hit a moving vehicle, burning the corpses beyond recognition. recent u.s. drone attacks in yemen have killed at least 20 people and sparked protests from residents claiming a loss of civilian life. a suicide bombing in northern iraq has killed least 35 people and wounded more than 75 others. the attack struck a shia mosque during a funeral for the relative of a slain politician. it was the deadliest act of violence iraq has seen in six months. secretary of state hillary clinton appeared before congress on wednesday to answer

questions surrounding the september 11 attack on u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. the u.s. ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans were killed after militants attacked the consulate and its protest against an anti-muslim film. during her testimony, clinton faced repeated attempts by congressional republicans to blame the incident on alleged white house and state department negligence. in one of several testy exchanges with republicans, clinton rejected wisconsin senator ron johnson's criticism of the administration's initial handling of the consulate attack. >> again, we were misled there were protests and then something sprang out of that. that was easily ascertained that was not that fact. the american people could have known that within days. >> with all due respect, the fact is, we had quite true that americans because of a protest or guys out for a walk on that and decided to kill some

americans? what difference at this point does it make? it is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator. honestly, i will do my best answer your questions about this, but the fact is, people were trying in real time to get to the best information. >> secretary of state clinton was making her last formal appearance before congress before leaving the state department. she is expected to step down of secretary of state in the coming days once her successor, democratic senator john kerry, is for -- is confirmed. the british prime minister david cameron has pledged to hold a national referendum on whether to leave the european union. he ended months of speculation that the televised address on wednesday. >> it is time for the british people to have their say. it is time for us to settle this question about britain and europe.

when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the british people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice, to stay in your opinion on these new terms or to come out altogether. it will be in in/out referendum. >> under the terms of his proposal, cameron's eu referendum won't take place in -- unless he wins reelection in 2015. the israeli military continues to carry out deadly attacks in the occupied west bank. in the latest incident, a 21- year-old palestinian woman was killed and another local youth wounded when israeli forces opened fire at a school. a witness said the slain victim, lubna hanash, was standing with a group of companions when they came under fire. >> to that is really soldiers traveling in a white car quited their weapons, shooting indiscriminately at a college where the women were standing at

the entrance. they shot repeople. -- they shot three people. >> lubna hanash was laid to rest at a funeral in her home town of bethlehem after hehours after hr death. she was one of several unmarked palestinians killed by israeli troops this month. new figures show the percentage of u.s. unionized workers has reached its lowest point in 76 years. according to the bureau of labor statistics, 11.3% of u.s. workers belonged to a union in 2012, down from 11.8% the year before. the total number of unionized workers dropped by 400,000, even though overall employment increased by 2.4 million. union membership has come under new pressure with state legislation, including wisconsin's rollback of collective bargaining and so- called right to work laws in indiana and michigan. in a statement, the afl-cio said

-- republican lawmakers in virginia are sparking outrage for pushing through a controversial gerrymandering bill while one of its members was away. on monday, a federal holiday in the day of president obama's inauguration, the virginia state approved a measure to redraw the state's electoral map in a way that could turn the current 20- 20 split with democrats into a decisive republican majority. the bill was approved by one vote because democratic state senator henry marsh was out of state attending the inauguration in washington. a recent internal report by the republican state leadership committee hosted the party maintained its house majority by gerrymandering congressional districts in traditionally democratic states. and those are some of the

headlines. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting live from the sundance film festival in park city, utah. this week marks the 40th anniversary of roe v wade, the landmark supreme court ruling that established the right to abortion. a new poll coinciding with the anniversary shows a record 70% of americans oppose overturning roe v. wade. for the first time on record, a majority believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. despite the apparent shift in public opinion, abortion rights remain under siege. last year saw u.s. states enact the second highest number of anti-choice restrictions in history. recent restrictions include a wave of state bans on abortion in later stages of pregnancy. here at the sundance film festival, a remarkable new film follows the only four doctors left in the u.s. to openly provide abortions in the third

trimester. the film is called, "after tiller" after dr. george tiller, a man who performed the third trimester abortions despite constant threats and attacks from anti-abortion extremists. tiller's clinic was firebombed in 1985. eight years later, he survived an assassination attempt. then on may 31, 2009, dr. george tiller was gunned down by scott roeder while attending church in wichita, kansas. tiller was 67. the film opens with the words of dr. torch tiller. >> i personally would prefer to have a stimulating, emotionally and spiritually rewarding career that is short rather than have a long and filled with mediocrity, feeling as if you don't make any difference to people.

>> that was part of the nine- one-one call from the sunday morning in 2009 when dr. george tiller was shot to death while he attended church. the film, "after tiller" which has premiered at the sundance film festival, is about the colleagues he left behind. the four doctors depicted in the film have also braved threats, harassment, emotional weight of the stories they hear to provide women with a desperately needed medical procedure. we're joined now by the directors of "after tiller," lana wilson and martha shane. why did to make this film? what inspired you? >> it came from the news coverage surrounding dr. tiller's death. he survived an assassination attempt and literally went back to work the next day. i could not believe someone

would go through such an experience and return to their job immediately. the news coverage was a controversial doctor has been killed, getting a talking point from each side of the issue, and that was about it. i found it frustrating the human element was let out. i was curious what motivated this man to go to such lengths to keep doing his work, why women would even need a third trustor abortion. and was someone waiting in the wings to take his place now that he was gone? what would happen next? >> talk about these doctors, martha, that you follow. >> the doctors are four in credible individuals. i think one of the things people notice is there all average, a very average americans. dr. cart is a registered republican and religious. dr. herrmann is much more on the liberal side.

their range of personalities. getting to know them is really what struck as the most. they're just doctors who are incredibly dedicated to caring for these women despite the incredible risk. >> there are only four doctors to perform these third trimester abortions? >> yes. two of the doctors worked directly with dr. tiller? >> three of them worked with dr. tiller. there were all trained by dr. tiller and all worked at his clinic in kansas, alternating weeks. there were left without a place to work after he was assassinated. >> let's turn to one of those doctors who works with dr. susan robinson at the southwestern women's options clinic, dr. shelley sella, in mexico. both are former colleagues of dr. tiller. in this clip, you'll hear the voice of one of dr. seau's patients. but first to hear dr. sella talking about her work. >> i think about what i do all

the time. and i recognize what i do and at times a struggle and at times i don't. but that always come back to the woman and what she's going through. and often what life will this baby have? what will it mean to be alive? with horrific fetal abnormalities? it is not just about being alive, it is about life and what it means. >> thank you. >> if the baby did that give part of his brain, what outcome of that impossibly the good?

ours has been guilt. it is killed no matter which way you go. killed if you do what we're doing or bring him into this world and he does not have any quality of life. >> a clip from "after tiller." martha shane, tell us about this couple. tell us about the patients, the women, their partners who, in. who wants a third trimester abortion? >> the interesting thing is, these women never expected to find themselves in the situation and they come from a huge range of backgrounds. as you see in the film, and large percentage of them are actually women with planned pregnancies to find out late in the pregnancy that there is something terribly wrong with the fetus. they are really not only going through this very difficult procedure, but also grieving a loss of their child. then there is a lot -- cases are also maternal indications, which is for some reason a woman was not able to get an abortion

earlier in the pregnancy. young women who did not know they're pregnant. sometimes it is a rape victim who is in denial about what happened to her. it is a range of reasons, but these are the most desperate situations. >> i want to turn to dr. susan robinson. in this scene, a staff member has raised concerns about a young patient who seems to be having a hard time with her decision to have a third trimester abortion. dr. robinson talks with the staff member after she has spoken with the patient. >> to me she sounds completely clear. i mean, i said, look, of course you to win an abortion. you can have a kid you say you cannot take good care of, have a kid and give it to somebody else, who you know or don't know, or you can have an abortion, which you think is the wrong thing to do. those are your three choices.

they all suck. but you have to pick one of them. she said, i am committed. she said, i am committed, three or four times. i said, so you struggle with this decision and you have arrived at what you think is the best choice you have available to you? and you feel bad about it, you already regret it, but you think it is the best of your choices. and she said, yes. i said, do you want to go ahead with this? she said, yes. and she said, i have had plenty of time to think about it. i am committed. >> ok. >> maybe she could not bring yourself to say, yes, i want an abortion. >> that is dr. susan robinson. lana wilson, talk about the dilemmas these doctors face. you're talking about doctors agonizing who have been doing this for decades.

>> yes. these women come to these doctors with incredibly complicated situations, very desperate ones. the doctor's job is not to be a moral arbiter. they are a doctor. they're there to see, can i help my patient? they're looking at the patient safety and one is above all. it is hard because women come from such different places. these doctors do have to decide, can i help her? i think what dr. robinson articulated is, these women are not wanting to be here. and if she can help a patient safety, that is what she will do. >> martha, how did you have this intimate access to these four doctors? you are filling in with them talking to their patients. obviously, i assume that the patients gave their permission. >> the doctors and the councilors are the best allies in helping us find patients who are interested in sharing their

stories. they would explain to the patients can in, there filmmakers that will not fill out without your permission. the women who participated did so because they realize people do not understand why women seek third trimester abortions and they wanted to clarify those reasons for everybody. the other reason we were able to get this access is partially just being young female filmmakers. we were committed. we told the doctors we were committed to being out of the way, as invisible as possible. we did not want to disrupt the process the doctors and patients were going through. >> why did they give you access? >> for the doctors, i think it was about having a voice. they know that what is missing from the abortion debate had been the voices of the people who are most intimately involved with this work. they fell to -- we were lucky

they trusted us to share their stories. >> lana wilson, introduce us to dr. carhart. he has been pushed from clinic decline in, from state to state. he started in nebraska? what's he went to nebraska because he was in the air force. he was in the air force for over 20 years. he opened a general practice there and never imagined he would become an abortion provider. he was introduced to abortion but a nurse friend of his who brought him into the clinic one day to hear the women's stories. >> but he had to lead nebraska? >> yes. he is now doing third trimester abortions in a clinic in maryland to. >> let's go to a clip from this remarkable film, "after tiller." this is dr. leroy carhart who has a clinic in germantown, maryland. their anti-was activists targeted his landlord, todd

stayed, protesting outside the middle school of his landlord's daughter. this is dr. carhart commenting on what took place. >> the thing with the school, and aggravated the owner enough he got very, very -- he took it personally. if they tell me to move tomorrow, i would have to move. if we don't fight back, it will go away, abortion will not be available. >> dr. carhart. martha, talk about -- there were protesting the landlord's daughters middle school. >> yes. that is typical for one of the anti-abortion tactics is to try to prevent the doctor from having any place to practice. dr. carhart was incredibly

lucky in finding a clinic or the landlord was willing to stand up for him and for his rights to continue to practice through the >> not just willing, unbelievably, coincidentally, mr. stave's father, was and he an abortion provider? >> he was. >> this is the landlord. >> the landlords father was an abortion provider whose clinic had been firebombed. the landlord completely understood this and that was a very rare and lucky circumstance for dr. carhart. many of the landlords would not be so sympathetic. who would want protesters outside their businesses all day, every day? >> one of the focuses of "after tiller" is the way the threats and attacks faced by abortion providers affect their personal lives. this is dr. warren hern of boulder, colorado, talking with his mother. papert they've had in the

about abortion, since last month, i think stirs up people. they don't give it much thought until they start putting a lot of things in the paper like they have. >> how many times have you received threatening phone calls because of what i do? >> i don't know. people call and i just hang up. >> but they call you? >> yes. >> what do your friends say? >> i did not pay that much attention to it. i thought you were doing what you felt like he needed to do. i mean -- i was hooked one of these days you would feel you could enjoy the rest of your life. i would like you to say, ok, someone else is going to do this, i'm going to do my thing now. that is what i would like. >> good. if it were possible, that is what i would do.

>> i and a stand. >> getting someone else who wants to do this is pretty close to impossible. >> that was dr. warren hern of boulder, colorado, talking with his mother. martha shane, dr. hern has faced serious pressure and certainly after the assassination, the murder of dr. tiller and we hear it with his conversation with his mother, yet he continues. >> yes. it is really amazing just to see how dedicated these doctors are to this work. dr. berndt started doing abortions right after roe v. wade and he never expected the abortion debate and controversy would continue for so long. so i think what really has allowed him to keep going is is a credible dedication to the patients and also having a family now that is incredibly supportive of what he does.

his wife is cuban, a former abortion doctor herself. she really understands what is going through. >> before his assassination in 2009, dr. tiller faced constant threats and incidents of violence and vandalism in the decades. his clinic was firebombed in 1985. in 1993, he survived an assassination attempt with gunshot wounds to both arms. speaking to the feminist majority foundation in 2008, he described the danger he faced and his determination to continue. >> it has been impressed on me there are a lot of people in the u.s. that don't like what we do. and this is what an office looks like when it has been bombed at about midnight. our response was, and still continues to be, hell, no, we won't go! [applause]

i put up $10,000 as a reward. nobody ever collected. that was 1986. trying to get back to a normal clinic, but we had to put up gates and take other security arrangements. i had my head in the sand. i'm taking care of the patient, trying to make the world a better place to live one woman at a time, and i said, no, this is not one happen again in wichita. i was wrong. >> that was dr. tiller, 2009. he was assassinated. lana, the state crackdowns that we are seeing now and the tremendous pressure on these doctors like dr. carhart who worked with dr. tiller, his horse barn was burned down with

17 of his horses died in a fire. the violence and then the laws changing. >> the loss changing. what they're doing, yes, abortion and contraception are legal, but some many states are putting restrictions in a place like the law that drove dr. carhart out of nebraska which is being copied by many other states that abortion is not accessible to many women. it does not really matter if it is legal if it is not accessible. and if women at a younger age are not accessible -- educated about contraception and sex education. we have to look at these larger issues. >> i want to thank you for this film. lana wilson and martha shane made, "after tiller" that premiered this week at the sundance film festival on this 40th anniversary of the supreme court ruling of roe v. wade. when we come back, we go back

and then go forward. we go back 50 years to a supreme court decision that guaranteed the right of everyone in the u.s. to a lawyer in criminal cases. what does that mean today? we follow a group of young, dedicated lawyers in the deep south fighting to defend those who cannot afford to hire their own lawyers. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from the sundance film festival in park city, utah. we turn now to a new film that looks at the struggles of public defenders -- lawyers who dedicate themselves to representing the poor. in some states, it's estimated 80% of people facing felony charges cannot afford to hire their own lawyers. often the lawyers appointed are faced with overwhelming caseloads and virtually no resources. the problem is especially bad in the south. the average caseload for public defender in miami dade county, florida at any one time is 500 felonies and 225 misdemeanors. and hbo documentary premiering at this year's sundance film festival follows three public defenders in states like georgia who fight the odds to provide

their clients with quality representation. this is a clip from the film, "gideon's army" that explains what is at stake. >> this is the way it really works. you go to jail. you're charged with an offense based upon what a police officer thinks you did. they said a bond and if you are poor and you cannot make the bond, you don't get out. so you sit and you sit and you sit. you may have lost your house, your kids may be needing sustenance, and you may have been taken out of high school. all of the things that could happen if you are summarily plucked from your life. you have so much tremendous pressure to plead guilty. it is all about lessening the penalty. >> that's an excerpt from the new documentary, "gideon's army"

which refers to the landmark supreme court case gideon v. wainwright in 1963 which will have its 50th anniversary this march. the case involved clarence earl gideon, a poor man from florida, who was convicted of breaking into a pool hall. he could not afford a lawyer. none was provided for him when he asked for one at trial. in its decision, the supreme court ruled in favor of gideon, finding that state courts are required under the sixth amendment to provide a lawyer in criminal cases for defendants unable to afford their own. i want to play an audio recording from the supreme court's oral arguments. this is from the very end of the hearing, when chief justice earl warren addressed abe fortras, the attorney arguing the case, who himself was a future supreme court justice. >> i like to say this, this is a

very important case, a very fundamental case. it is important to the state of florida, the state of alabama and the other states that have the same rule. it is important to thousands and thousands of poor litigants throughout our country. >> that is an excerpt from the oral arguments in the supreme court 50 years ago. we're joined now by the filmmakers of "gideon's army." well, the filmmaker. the film premiered at the sundance film festival. dawn porter is with us. we're joined by one of the lawyers she profiles in the film, travis williams, a public defender in hall county, georgia. talk about why he made this dilma. >> i am aware and i had gone to the south, i met the head of

the southern public defender training center. i saw all the training that was happening in the south for young lawyers. i was really strong by this group of committed young public defenders who were trying to kind of change the way public defense practiced in the u.s.. i just thought their story was not known and people would be interested in seeing what was happening. >> be felt -- figures are astounding. the u.s. has 2 million people? >> 2.5 billion people. 2.3-2.5 million people. >> talk about the significance and this ruling, the right to counsel and a criminal case has meant. >> as americans, we are so familiar with the phrase, "you have the right to an attorney," that we think it originated with

the constitution. it is only 50 years old. the supreme court ruling was incredibly important. and so glad you play that clip. i remember in constitutional law learning about that case. gideon was an indigent person who wrote anda handwritten letter to the supreme court saying, "this is not fair scrim they agreed unanimously it was funneled to the bill of rights. -- "this is not fair." they agreed unanimously. what we see now is remarkable decision has not been implemented, is that as a factual as its importance. >> i want to go to another clip in "gideon's army." this is brandy alexander, a public defender in georgia, discussing the case of one of her young clients. >> he is a kid.

he is facing a lot of time if he is found guilty. it will break him. mentally and emotionally. he will be broken. i cannot fathom -- i cannot fathom turning around to his mother after a jury has said "guilty." i have told her he will get a minimum 10 years. she says he has done a complete 180. he has a job, working on his ged, apparently has a girlfriend. i think he has been scared straight, assuming he gets a "not guilty" verdict and is allowed to live his life. we're hoping that is the end result. we do not see happily ever afters too often. >> dawn porter, tell us about

bahraini alexander. >> shias a remarkable young woman. she grew up in the south in a low-income neighborhood and saw a lot of her friends be arrested and decided she was one to be a lawyer in order to help them rid she is really empathetic. she almost feels too much. i think -- i wanted to profile her because i think she breaks the stereotype of the u.n. caring public defender. her issue is, she cares too much. if you care so deeply about what happens, it can eat you up inside. >> it sounds like someone else cares a great deal, sitting right next to you, travis williams. why did you become a public defender in georgia? >> i think it is different types of people that do this work. i am a fighter. i really became a public defender to fight the system, to

make sure the police are held accountable, to make sure the court system is held accountable to make justice work. >> you could make a lot more work as a public attorney. >> i did not have a lot of money, so i think i'm doing pretty good. i am happy. >> where the work in georgia a? >> hall county, georgia. >> how many cases do you have? >> i handle mostly level one felonies. my numbers are a little lower than other people. generally, about 100. >> talk about who comes to you, how you are assigned to these cases. >> i am a senior attorney so i run a courtroom and supervise about three or four different people. a case comes in unless say it is a murder or chow molestation that comes directly to me. i work the case up from the beginning. some of the lower level felonies

go to my junior attorney and we just kind of work the cases that way. >> you are wearing a sweater. we're here in park city, utah. people cannot see something that is very significant about the way you decided to mark your wins and losses. can you talk about it? >> my wins go on the wall. i frame and put them on the wall could >> the court decisions, the verdict sheets. >> i have five reversals with the court of appeals. i hang those on the wall. i decided that since the winds go on the wall, as i celebrate, the losses have to go somewhere. i have a tattoo on my back as is "true believers." under that it says ticked up without a belief held true, we cannot possibly hope to persuade." underneath that, the last things of every case i have lost. >> how many names are on your back? >> 8. >> so it hurts even more than your loss when you get these tattoos one by one critic rex h..

>> out of how many customer >> 8 out of 24. >> when was the last time you had one tattooed on your back? >> last week. >> why are you doing this? >> because i think the system needs someone that is enthusiastic about keeping it in check. when i was growing up, i was harassed by the police whether it was right or wrong. i want to be able to keep them in check. the only way to do that is through zealous representation. >> dawn porter, wanted to focus on travis? >> travis is a unique personality, but i think he is emblematic of the fighter. there are different models of practicing defense. he is a fighter. he is relentless. he does not give up. juries appreciate his passion.

we had one juror who thanked him for it who said "innocent until proven guilty, who knew?" i think travis shows what an effective -- what a difference in advocate can make. and he is pretty fun to watch. >> travis, can you talk about the case focused on in "gideon's army"? >> i represented a young kid. he was 19. his name was brandon, charged with armed robbery. it was a very difficult situation because he was so young and was a case that really involved $96. he was facing potential life sentence. he grew up without parents, in the foster care system that failed him. he was so sympathetic, but the justice system had no sympathy for him. >> the cases you represent, the one of a young man who won

because of his races but described that case. >> randy have declined she calls young mr. right. is there was montana's right. it turns out his mother, a poor woman, had worked really hard to get hurt in dental care and got him braces. most of those cases did not go to trial. that is one thing that is incredibly important. if you have a good lawyer, your case does not go to trial, you don't get your day in court. there was a misidentification by the police in this case. because we had a good public defender, he is exonerated. one of the key items was he had braces. he had braces and full body tattoos. the police report makes no mention of that. the witnesses did not remember tattoos. >> tattoos up his neck, on his face? >> all over his arms and hands. they said this kid frequented

the pizza parlor yet this was not something they noticed. the fact that brandy was a great lawyer forced the police to make their case, made a big difference. >> 90% of people charged with a felony actually plead guilty? they don't go to trial? >> we have an fbi statistics, 12 million to 13 million people get arrested. from those people, many millions will be charged. if 90% are pleading guilty, we are funneling people into the prison system. we are not giving them their day in court, which is what the sixth amendment -- >> why did they plead guilty? >> the sentences are so stiff, particularly in the south, it is very difficult to look at your client and say, "i am going to trial." it is someone's life on the line creek people say, two years, three years, not a big deal.

i challenge anyone to spend a day in prison. it is incredibly tents, dispiriting place. when clients are looking at long sentences, we're looking at 10 years, he will take five years, even though that is a long time. then you become a fellow with all the collateral consequences. >> lawyer turned filmmaker. what did you learn in the process? >> we must surprised by making this film? >> i was a civil litigator and practiced in a wonderful firm. i had a lot of resources. i had an assistant, a paralegal, supervision, a time. these young people are coming out of training. >> is your mouth watering, travis? as you listen to the resources? >> i came out of law school and it was two years before had case on my own. these young people come out and this was the most surprising

thing to me, and i think i was appalled by this from understanding how little i knew when i came out of law school, there are literally graduating, go to their offices and handed a file, which is someone's life, and said, "go figure it out. i thought, that is not what good representation is. that cannot be what we accept. >> the figures in this town. the average caseload in florida, miami dade county, at any one time, 500 felonies, 225 misdemeanors, 725 cases. how is it possible customer if you're working 40 hours, that is like three minutes a case. how do lawyers deal? >> a lot of people who plead cases out, the of a lot of people who don't meet their clients so they come and meet them for the first time and will be representing them. >> and have a country with 2.5 million people in kind -- in

prison. travis, your pay, even dealing with student debt, you to law school? >> when it comes to the student debt, i am fortunate enough to have the georgia student finance commission pay my student loans. >> because? >> they have a program. president obama has funded a program. i was fortunate enough to apply it and won a lot of awards and the state, so i have been turned down for other programs and they finally accepted me in this program. it has been a tremendous blessing for me. when it comes to the work, i worked nonstop. there are too many cases, too much stuff going on. you just cannot do it in 40 hours. >> final dawn porter comment , -- final comment around the

issue of racial prejudice, dawn what's most prisoners, most people arrested our young minority people. we're creating a permanent underclass. if you do not have been zealous representation or people like travis and brandy who come from these neighborhoods, who see their clients as people and not statistics or numbers, who care about their lives, we're going to keep funneling and losing a lot of talent. >> thank you both for being here, travis williams, public defender in georgia, and dawn porter, a lawyer turned filmmaker, director of the hbo documentary, "gideon's army closed with a premiered at this year's sundance film festival, and i hope coming to a theater near you. when we come back, the woman who heads of the documentary film festival here at sundance, cara mertes.

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>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we conclude today's broadcast by looking at the documentary film program here at the sundance film festival. observers have long noted that documentaries are the strongest component of the festival, with the l.a. times writing last week -- all five of the films nominated for the 2013 academy award for best documentary have played here at sundance. the films are -- "5 broken cameras," "the gatekeepers," "how to survive a plaque," "the invisible war," and "searching for sugar man." this year the festival includes 28 feature-length documentaries from the u.s. and around the world. they feature a wide range of subjects, including the story of wikileaks, abortion, the egyptian revolution -- we will

be bringing you that story tomorrow -- immigration, covert wars, and many more. we're joined by cara mertes, the director of the sundance institute documentary film program and the sundance documentary fund. welcome to "democracy now!" on thee're moving in 11th year of your program. what is this program? >> it is the around support mechanism the institute has. robert redford had a vision to create a platform for independent feature films and documentaries. >> for people who don't know where watching or listening around the world, is at the sundance film festival was founded by robert redford? >> yes. yet the notion he wanted to support artists first. the year-round support started before the festival. we had a feature film early on in the documentary program came here in 2002.

we have had a fund, labs, creative support, we network our filmmakers, often find additional financing, and work year-round international to support documentary wherever we can. we're in china, india, the middle east. we're supporting globally. >> how do people learn about this? >> you can go to the website. sundance.org. people can apply to our funds, the documentary fund, and then we invite you to various labs we have your ground or workshops, work in progress screenings. we have a slate of awards and other support mechanisms we used to bring the film's quality to the level the artists themselves really want. we form communities of documentary filmmakers. this year, we have 12 films that went to our documentary program that were selected by the sundance festival program.

there is no guarantee if you get into the program i run you will actually be in the festival. those films have to compete against the other 2000 entries that are viewed and be chosen. out of the 40 documentaries or programs, 12 came to the documentary program. >> let's talk about the one we started with when we flew in on monday night from washington, d.c., with our five-hour special covering the inauguration. we flew two -- flee the celtics city, raced for a 9:00 showing of "dirty wars." the film was directed and edited by richard rowley of big noise films and jeremy scahill, the narrator and subject of the film. also co-producer, who co-wrote the script. he was a producer at "democracy now!" and as a national security

correspondent for "the nation's crime the film follows jeremy as he chases down the hidden truth behind america's expanding covert wars. ♪ >> aden. yemen post into port city was nothing like kabul. in afghanistan, life was defined by the war. everything revolved around it. in yemen, there was no word -- at least not officially. the strikes seem to come out of the blue. and most yemenis were going about life as usual. it was difficult to know where to start.

the yemeni government claimed responsibility for the strikes, saying they killed dozens of kaukauna operatives. it was unclear who the targets really were. responsible.ven possibl >> an excerpt of "dirty wars: the world as a battlefield." that was jeremy scahill who co- wrote this documentary with their broker. use this as an example of how a film incubates and how remarkable this film is. this week there have been as many drone strikes and as many days, on inauguration day itself, u.s. drone attacks, five. this is what he takes on along with jsoc. >> the producers of this took this found to meet early on in said, we want to do this. so many of us know jeremy's work. his a from a nomina

he is a phenomenal reporter. we funded them very early on to go and find the story and understand how jeremy himself could become a character and his own story and recreate in a way that are the course of the 75 minutes you watch the film, it is a journey of a lifetime that jeremy has gone through and sort of create a portrait that is so human around international issues that people do not understand. that 75 minutes, people walked out of the feeder absolutely transformed to. i have never seen a film screen as sundance were people are so stunned that nobody claps when the first credit comes up. at the end, they just leave. it is astounding the fact the film have since we will be seeing it on the screens around the country. screenings -- the book will be released in the film will be seen in theaters around the country. it is very exciting.

>> talk about other films. >> there are 12. you just had "after tiller" and "gideon's army." out of the films here this year, one of the things i see is this attempt to construct a portrait of humanity as sort of 360 degree portrait of the lives of the people that are being treated, the subjects of these films, so we can begin to understand from all points of view what these characters are going through. jeremy does this, robert wright -- they realize film now, incredible film messenger, a very concise way to deliver some sort of profound messages about the realities of our world. "after tiller" following the doctors and nurses, what happens after the doctors leave? how the people stand up for their convictions? over and over we see the portraits this year. >> today we had to women

filmmakers -- three women filmmakers. talking about their affect on documentaries. >> we see distant past. the women's initiative going on, which wants to call out the pounds women have in feature film and documentary. and documentary, you understand document is full of women directors and storytellers. in the feature film, it is a bit different. that is the real challenge we see. >> thank you, cara mertes, director of the sundance institute documentary film program, for joining us. tomorrow, we will be looking at "the square scram the premiers here about the egyptian revolution. tomorrow will be the second anniversary of the egyptian revolution. you can go to democracynow.org for all of our coverage of sundance. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by

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