Gideon’s Promise is a left-of-center group based in Atlanta, Georgia, that trains and mentors public defenders. The organization was founded in 2007 by Jonathan Rapping as the Southern Public Defender Training Center, and it changed its name to Gideon’s Promise in 2013. ¹ Gideon’s Promise has been a grant partner of the National Football League since 2019. ²

Gideon’s Promise has several programs to support public defenders, and it partners with many of the country’s top law schools, including Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. ³

The organization supported President Joe Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court since Jackson had previously worked as a federal public defender. ⁴

Mission

Programs

Gideon’s Promise trains and supports public defenders in their work representing indigent defendants. ⁵ The organization does this work while focusing on its core values of “client-centered work, culture, community, cultural competency, equal justice, and inspired change.” ⁵

The organization runs several programs for public defenders and law students. The Core 101 program trains new public defenders who have worked for less than 3 years, and it focuses on training and bringing together new public defenders. ⁶

Gideon’s Promise also partners with many law schools across the company, including Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, the University of Chicago Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Vanderbilt University Law School. ³ The organization also hosts training sessions for leadership in public defenders’ offices. ⁷

Support of Ketanji Brown Jackson

Gideon’s Promise supported President Joe Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, stating that this confirmation was an important step in increasing the prominence of public defenders in the legal system. ⁴

People

Gideon’s Promise has nine staff, and its board of directors includes several public defenders from cities such as Dallas, Houston, Nashville, and New York City. ^{8 9}

Jonathan Rapping is the founder and CEO of Gideon’s Promise, and he has received a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” fellowship grant for his work in left-of-center criminal justice advocacy. ¹⁰ In 2007, Rapping received a Soros Justice Fellowship from the Open Society Foundations to start Gideon’s Promise. ¹¹ Rapping’s work as a public defender was featured in the HBO documentary “Gideon’s Army,” and he has written for media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Mother Jones. ¹⁰

Ilham Askia was a co-founder of Gideon’s Promise, and she oversaw the organization’s daily operations, budget, compliance, and other operations. ¹² Askia won the WNBA’s Inspiring Woman Award, and led Gideon’s Promise when the organization won awards from organizations such as Emory University, the National Association of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists, and the American College of Trial Lawyers. ¹² Askia, who is married to Jonathan Rapping, left Gideon’s Promise in 2022. ¹³

Finances

In 2021, Gideon’s Promise reported $4,028,887 in total revenue and $1,831,022 in total expenses, and in 2020 the organization had $1,956,716 in total revenue and $1,323,414 in total expenses. ¹⁴

Gideon’s Promise has been a grant partner of the National Football League since 2019, and the NFL’s funding goes toward training programs for public defenders, software, and funding to enhance “racial equity training.” ²

In 2024, it was reported that District of Columbia Magistrate Judge Lloyd Nolan, Jr., who faced criticism for releasing on bail a man accused of firing a rifle in a D.C. neighborhood, had made a contribution of an undisclosed amount to a Gideon’s Promise fundraiser. ¹⁵

1. Gideon’s Promise. “Our History.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/justice-system-reform/. Accessed September 9, 2023.
2. National Football League. “Gideon’s Promise.” https://www.nfl.com/causes/inspire-change/resources/grant-partners/gideons-promise. Accessed August 28, 2023.
3.  Gideon’s Promise. “Gideon’s Promise List of Partner Law Schools.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-Participating-Law-Schools.pdf. Accessed September 2, 2023.
4. Arnold Ventures. “The Rise of Public Defense Attorneys on the Judiciary.” https://www.arnoldventures.org/stories/the-rise-of-public-defense-attorneys-on-the-judiciary?fbclid=IwAR3DLN1B0bqqKEPw2MrZoKw5dHkFMvs0w-wKReITmWjDUezYkL9_yKAubJo. Accessed September 4, 2023.
5. Gideon’s Promise. “What We Do.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/what-we-do/. Accessed September 2, 2023.
6. Gideon’s Promise. “Core 101.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/core-101/. Accessed September 2, 2023.
7. Gideon’s Promise. “Leadership Development.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/leadership-development/. Accessed September 2, 2023.
8. Gideon’s Promise. “Meet Our Team.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/advocacy-careers/. Accessed August 28, 2023.
9. Gideon’s Promise. “Board of Directors.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/gideons-promise-board-of-directors/. Accessed August 28, 2023.
10.  Gideon’s Promise. “Jonathan Rapping.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/jonathan-rapping-bio/. Accessed August 28, 2023.
11. Open Society Foundations. “Soros Justice Fellowships.” https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/soros-justice-fellowships?filter_past_year=2007&past=1. Accessed August 28, 2023.
12. Gideon’s Promise. “Ilham Askia.” https://www.gideonspromise.org/ilham-askia-bio/. Accessed September 2, 2023.
13. Gideon’s Promise. “Gideon’s Promise Annual Report 2022.” P. 13. https://www.gideonspromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Annual-Report-2022-FINAL.pdf. Accessed September 2, 2023.
14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Gideon’s Promise. 2021. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/261947437/202233199349302038/full.
15. Miller, Andrew Mark, Cameron Cawthorne, and Fox News. “Judge Facing Heat for Releasing Alleged DC Teen Shooter Donated to Soros Tied Fund, Posted about Being ‘Woke.’” Fox News, May 12, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-facing-heat-releasing-alleged-dc-teen-shooter-donated-soros-fund-posted-being-woke.