Since becoming the Defender Association’s Chief Defender in November 2021, Keisha Hudson has brought both local and national attention to the critical role of public defenders in maintaining and reforming the criminal justice system. Drawing on her extensive experience as an accomplished lawyer, leader, and activist, she has enhanced the Defender’s client services and reshaped its mission to be more inclusive and people-focused.
Keisha Hudson’s 22-year career as a public defender began with the Defender Association of Philadelphia and continued with the Federal Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Capital Habeas Unit), where she represented people on death row in state post-conviction and federal habeas appeals. As both a trial and appellate defender, she has a deep understanding of the responsibilities of public defense. She also served as the Director of Training at the Capital Habeas Unit.
In 2016, Ms. Hudson transitioned from the Federal Defender to the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender, where she served as Deputy Chief Defender. Working alongside Chief Defender Dean Beer, she strengthened courtroom advocacy and addressed systemic issues around policing, pretrial detention, sentencing, and probation. Over four years, they built one of the strongest public defender offices in Pennsylvania.
In 2020, Ms. Hudson joined The Justice Collaborative and The Appeal, where she developed and led media and advocacy campaigns on criminal justice reform, particularly focused on innovative community-based solutions to improve public safety. From 2020 to 2021, she was a visiting professor at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.
