Bio
Twyla Carter is a former senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, serving from 2017 to 2020. Prior to joining the ACLU, Carter was the Misdemeanor Practice Director and a staff attorney for the King County Department of Public Defense in Seattle, Washington. As the Misdemeanor Practice Director, she oversaw all misdemeanor casework across the four divisions of the department. As a staff attorney at The Defender Association division, she handled felony and misdemeanor trial caseloads, represented juveniles, and appealed misdemeanor convictions. Twyla received an Associate’s degree from Seattle Central Community College, a Bachelor’s degree from Seattle University, and a J.D. from the Seattle University School of Law.
Featured work
![A detainee sits at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego.](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2020/07/Reentry-Blog-Header-Image-400x266.jpg)
Jul 21, 2020
The Looming Unspoken Crisis: How a Pandemic Exacerbates the Unjust Exclusions Wrought by the Criminal System
![Detainees wait in a cell for an appearance in court](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/12/WEB19-Jail-Detainees-Cell-Bars-BlogImage-WordPress-1110x740-400x266.jpg)
Dec 17, 2019
It’s Clear: In Oklahoma Cash Bail is Being Used as Ransom to Keep People Who Are Poor Behind Bars
![Alamance Colunty courthouse](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/11/alamance-co-courthouse-OPT-400x266.jpg)
Nov 15, 2019
The Size of Your Wallet Should Never Determine Your Freedom
![Neon bail bonds sign outside building](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web18-bail-bonds-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Apr 19, 2019
We Sued to End the Evils of Cash Bail in Michigan
![Galveston Courts](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web19-galvesoncourts-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Jan 18, 2019
The Case Against Galveston County’s Pretrial Detention System Survives the Government’s Challenge
![Gavel with out of focus background](https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2019/09/web18-gavel-1160x768-400x266.jpg)
Aug 13, 2018
A Man Wanted to Speak at His Trial. The Judge Taped His Mouth Shut