TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 26, 2025

Last week, Dumaka Shabazz was sworn in as the first African American federal public defender for the Middle District of Tennessee at the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building & Courthouse in Nashville, WKRN reports. A seasoned attorney and advocate for marginalized communities, Shabazz has served as an assistant public defender in Nashville since 2010, representing clients in complex cases involving fraud, homicide and large-scale narcotics offenses. Before joining the Federal Public Defender’s Office, Shabazz worked in private practice. He began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office. He also has taught trial advocacy at Vanderbilt Law School and trained newly hired federal public defenders at the New Defender College in New Mexico. The Office of the Federal Public Defender was established in 1978 under the Criminal Justice Act. It provides legal representation to individuals who cannot afford private counsel, ensuring their Sixth Amendment right to a legal defense.