A superior court justice will hear arguments this week about what the state can do to meet its constitutional obligation to provide attorneys for people who can’t afford their own.
Maine Commission on Public Defense Services
Posted inLocal & State
Maine public defense agency urges state to fully fund its work
The latest request for more funding comes as the state is trying to resolve a lawsuit over its struggles to find enough lawyers to represent poor Mainers in more than a thousand different cases.
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Posted inLocal & State
Judge’s ruling acknowledges that hundreds of Mainers’ rights are being denied
The state could be on a path to a widespread reform after a Superior Court justice ruled that many people facing serious criminal charges haven’t received the court-appointed lawyer they are entitled to under the Constitution.
Posted inLocal & State
Public attorneys could soon represent Maine parents in child protection cases
The new Parents Counsel Division launches as Maine’s child protective system is in crisis.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Judge rules Maine is denying constitutional rights
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy will hold a hearing this month to determine how the state should remedy what she says is a violation of the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Posted inLocal & State
Trial over Maine’s indigent defense crisis set to begin in December
The trial will address whether the state is violating the constitutional rights of hundreds of Maine defendants who are entitled to legal representation but are still waiting for a lawyer – and if so, how to fix it.
Posted inLocal & State
Maine public defense office submits early $64.5 million request for next budget
The proposal includes new public defense positions and emergency measures to help find lawyers for hundreds of unrepresented criminal defendants.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News, Politics
‘No easy fix’ to Maine’s indigent defense crisis, director tells lawmakers
The executive director of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services tells the Government Oversight Committee that defendants in over 860 criminal cases need an attorney.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Public defender’s offices are opening across Maine. The next step: Staffing them.
In Bangor, at the epicenter of the state’s indigent defense crisis, the district defender has only been able to fill one of five positions.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Maine Crime, News
The Maine Supreme Court asked large law firms to help with the public defender crisis. For the most part, they haven’t.
But criminal defense attorneys warn that their work is specialized, and not just any lawyer can step in and provide quality legal representation that ensures the rights of the accused are protected.