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.
Maine Commission on Public Defense Services
Posted inLocal & State
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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Posted inLocal & State
A Maine judge might release people without lawyers from jail
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy has questioned whether Maine’s public defense agency has done enough to ensure people have lawyers in the first place.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
ACLU says lack of public defense lawyers in Maine erodes trust in courts
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine was in court Wednesday to argue for the widespread release of low-income Mainers who face criminal charges but have not been appointed lawyers.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
What you need to know about the lawsuit over Maine’s public defense system
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.
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.
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.