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PublishedApril 23, 2025
Maine’s public defense system gets $3.5M boost, without governor’s support
The emergency bill makes it easier for judges to appoint lawyers for people who can't afford one themselves, and it authorizes the state to hire 5 new public defenders.
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PublishedApril 10, 2025
Maine lawmakers pass $3 million bill for public defense system
Maine lawmakers agreed to pay for more public defenders and make it easier for judges to appoint attorneys to cases where defendants can't afford their own. Gov. Janet Mills now has 10 days to act.
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PublishedApril 7, 2025
A Maine judge might not release people from jail until state’s top court weighs in
A judge in Kennebec County was unable to hold a hearing Monday to move forward on her plans to release people without lawyers from jail because an attorney for the state wants Maine's highest court to weigh in.
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PublishedApril 3, 2025
Maine’s public defense agency to scale back billing oversight, training to focus on attorney recruitment
The new plan aims to help solve what a many have called a constitutional crisis. Next up: A judge will hold a hearing Monday to lay out her plans for releasing or dropping charges against people who have been waiting for a lawyer.
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PublishedMarch 19, 2025
A $3M boost to Maine’s public defense spurs objections on all sides
An emergency bill sought to compromise the demands of Gov. Janet Mills and the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services as the state faces a constitutional violation over a lack of court-appointed attorneys.
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PublishedMarch 7, 2025
Maine to drop charges, release people from jail over public defense failures
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy gives Maine's public defense agency 1 month before criminal defendants who cannot afford their own attorneys are released from jail if they have waited more than 2 weeks for a lawyer.
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PublishedFebruary 25, 2025
Maine’s chief justice says courts are overwhelmed and underfunded
Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill's annual State of the Judiciary address focused on decreasing public trust in state courts and the system's financial woes.
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PublishedFebruary 25, 2025
Prosecutors say it’s not just public defense agencies that are struggling to hire over low pay
A bill proposed by Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, would seek to ensure parity with public defenders because some say prosecutors are struggling to recruit and retain attorneys.
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PublishedFebruary 4, 2025
Some of Maine’s bail violation charges could be eliminated by proposed bill
Maine is one of a handful of states that treat bail violation as a new criminal charge, even when the alleged misconduct isn't inherently criminal.
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PublishedJanuary 29, 2025
Gov. Mills doubles down on urging Maine’s public defense agency to relax rules
The Maine Commission on Public Defense Services says it needs more money than what the governor has offered to address a 'constitutional crisis' in Maine courts. Mills says the agency needs to change its rules first.
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