History of IDC
Independent Defense Counsel is an organization that is
dedicated to protecting the rights of students who are accused of Honor
Code Violations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
William Hashemi founded the Independent Defense Counsel in
spring of 2000 at UNC in order to provide a separate branch of defense
for students who were accused of Honor Code and Campus Code violations.
Traditionally, students facing Honor Court charges had been defended
solely by members of the same group that effectively prosecuted them –
the Student Attorney General’s Office. Additionally, Student Attorney
General Staff members also regularly switched roles between defending
students and arguing against them. Once William Hashemi learned about
the internal structure of the Student Attorney General’s Office, he
believed that the organization was fundamentally flawed. In his
opinion, having the same organization presenting evidence for and
against the defendant presented a conflict of interest. That members of
the organization also switched roles seemed to aggravate a situation
that led to consistently feeble defense for students and an
exceptionally high conviction rate.
William Hashemi's vision of the solution was an independent
student organization that was dedicated to providing vigorous defense
for Honor Court defendants. Instead of pursuing not-guilty verdicts by
any means necessary, this organization would ensure that students’
rights were not violated in the course of the trial and that all facts
pointing to reasonable doubt regarding the defendants’ guilt was
presented before the Honor Court. On this premise, he obtained formal
recognition from the University for the Independent Defense Counsel.
