WA Supreme Court weighs controversial step to solve public defense crisis

Supporters and opponents of a proposal to slash public defender caseloads in Washington made their closing arguments to the state Supreme Court on Wednesday.

For two hours, justices listened to speakers weigh in on a request to amend the Supreme Court’s standards for indigent defense by trimming the number of cases public defense attorneys handle each year by up to two-thirds.

This was the second and final public hearing on changes first put forth by the Washington State Bar Association. Justices will consider the testimony and trove of public comments submitted in recent weeks before deciding what, if any action to take. They next meet Dec. 4.

“I don’t know if we’ll be taking action or not in that time frame,” Chief Justice Steven Gonzalez said at the close of the hearing. “But you’ll hear more from us as we decide on the process from here.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/11/13/wa-supreme-court-weighs-controversial-step-to-solve-public-defense-crisis/