Pleading the Sixth: Advocates in New Mexico have tried for years to insulate the state public defender from undue political interference with no success. So now the voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to require the legislature…
Tag: standards
Missouri prosecutors claim new audit report proves defender caseload woes are a manufactured myth
Pleading the Sixth: On October 10, 2012, the Missouri state auditor released a report on the state public defender system that the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys claims “shatters the unsupported claims” of excessive caseloads across the state and accuses…
Oil boom rapidly creating a Sixth Amendment crisis in North Dakota
Pleading the Sixth: Though the successful implementation of oil fracking technologies has created a large budget surplus for North Dakota, it has also had the unintended side effect of overwhelming the state’s indigent defense system, as unemployed workers from across…
Indigent defense bill introduced in Michigan legislature
Pleading the Sixth: A sweeping indigent defense reform bill was introduced in the Michigan legislature on August 15, 2012 that promises to bring accountability to and improve the quality of right to counsel services in the state. Initial signs are…
A showdown brewing over Early Case Resolution programs in Reno
Pleading the Sixth: In January 2008, the Nevada Supreme Court removed the judiciary from the oversight of indigent defense services. On June 8, 2012, a Washoe County (Reno) District Judge tested that mandate with his own administrative order imposing an…
Tagged with: bail, early appointment of counsel, first appearance, Nevada, standards, Ten Principles
Michigan Governor’s Advisory Commission recommends sweeping changes
Pleading the Sixth: On June 22, 2012, a high-profile, bi-partisan commission appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder unanimously adopted a set of findings and recommendations that will change the way the state provides right to counsel services, if legislatively passed in…
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