The Indiana Supreme Court has removed a judge from office and permanently banned him from the bench, saying he “wielded his position of power like a tyrant” as he favored certain litigants while degrading others.
The chief justice of Boston’s municipal court dismissed 39 more criminal cases amid a defense lawyer work stoppage Tuesday, including that of a person accused in a machete attack near a school.
Lawyers can work on criminal matters in Hawaii on behalf of government agencies without law licenses in the state as part of a two-year pilot program that begins Aug. 14.
Court-appointed lawyers representing indigent criminal defendants in federal court are working without pay after the federal judiciary ran out of money for the program.
The founder of one of New York City’s public defender offices is facing fraud charges for allegedly taking money from the organization for luxury vacations, a penthouse apartment and designer clothes.
Massachusetts is experiencing a “full-blown constitutional breakdown” as bar advocates refuse to take on more court-appointed cases, according to the leader of the state’s association of criminal defense attorneys.
Recent Idaho public defender pay rate changes led to many counsel heading for the exits, and the Idaho State Bar issued a formal ethics opinion over concerns about defendants being left without attorneys.
Updated: Recent Idaho public defender pay rate changes led to many counsel heading for the exits, and the Idaho State Bar issued a formal ethics opinion due to concerns. It recognizes financial hardships can cause conflicts in legal representation but notes that counsel cannot leave a case without the court’s approval.
A former public defender accused of representing a client at a November 2022 preliminary hearing while under the influence of cocaine has received a suspension of a year and a day.
Indiana could help address an attorney shortage in underserved communities through law student scholarships and loan-repayment assistance, according to initial recommendations by the Indiana Supreme Court’s Commission on Indiana’s Legal Future.
Public defenders and prosecutors are among about 250 government attorneys who went on strike Monday in California’s Sacramento County following two years without a contract.
Prosecutors with the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force will help prosecute state cases originating in Alameda County, California, according to an announcement Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Many states are facing a crisis in public defense because of low pay, excessive caseloads, frequent burnout and a “great resignation” of qualified attorneys that began during the pandemic and shows no signs of ebbing.
