Public Defenders

Federal judge finds 2 cities’ public defender programs deficient; will he OK a federal monitor?

Two cities in Washington state’s Skagit County systematically violated the rights of indigent individuals through their inadequate public defender programs and were “willfully blind” to problems caused by cost-cutting, a federal judge has ruled. In a Wednesday opinion (PDF) resulting from a June bench trial of a groundbreaking class action,…

Dec 4, 2013 8:50 PM CST

S.C. prosecutors seek recusal of supreme court justice from all criminal cases for critical remarks

Thirteen of South Carolina’s 16 state prosecutors are seeking the recusal of South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Donald Beatty from all criminal appeals for remarks he allegedly made at a conference of prosecutors in September. Beatty allegedly told the audience of prosecutors that they had been “getting away with too…

Dec 4, 2013 7:35 PM CST

Law-school debt relief is proposed for these Florida lawyers in pending bill

A pending bill in Florida would pay up to $44,000 toward the law-school debt of lawyers working a set number of years as state prosecutors or public defenders. The sponsor of the bill is Florida Rep. James Waldman, D-Broward County, the Orlando Sentinel reports. He borrowed $30,000 nearly 30 years…

Nov 25, 2013 1:10 PM CST

Appellate lawyer decked in court by handcuffed death-row client sues county for damages

A Pennsylvania lawyer who was decked in court by a handcuffed death-row inmate while working as a contract appellate lawyer earlier this year has sued Blair County for damages. Plaintiff Timothy S. Burns, 40, lost consciousness briefly when he was knocked to the floor by his client at the counsel…

Nov 19, 2013 9:50 PM CST

Appeals court OKs new trials for 5 men because judge was in romantic relationship with their counsel

Saying that five men were convicted of serious crimes before a Georgia judge whose impartiality was seriously compromised, a state appellate panel has granted them new trials due to a romantic relationship between the judge and the assistant public defender serving as their legal counsel. District Attorney Scott Ballard said…

Nov 11, 2013 6:40 PM CST

Death penalty support at 40-year low, poll finds

Popular support for the death penalty has dropped to 60 percent, its lowest point in more than 40 years, a new poll shows. It is the lowest level of support Gallup has found since November 1972, when 57 percent of Americans favored capital punishment, according to this press release. Support…

Oct 30, 2013 4:47 PM CDT

Attorney forgave her sister’s killer and became an advocate against the death penalty

A well-known Illinois lawyer who works as a public defender and opposes the death penalty, Jeanne Bishop is also a woman of faith who views the criminal justice system from a very personal perspective. One of her sisters, Nancy Bishop Langert, was murdered, along with her husband, Richard, in the…

Oct 28, 2013 7:35 PM CDT

Budget deal provides ‘much needed lifeline’ for federal PDs and judiciary

An attorney fee backlog and public defender furloughs are likely coming to an end as a result of extra money provided in the budget deal reached on Wednesday. The agreement provides $51 million in extra cash for the judiciary and federal defenders, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal…

Oct 17, 2013 1:17 PM CDT

Contract attorney faces felony overbilling case, allegedly claimed over 24 hours on 80 work days

An Iowa lawyer is facing felony charges after allegedly obtaining nearly $178,000 in improper payments, between 2007 and 2011, for his work as a contract attorney for the state public defenders office. Ney McDaniel, 60, is charged with theft and fraudulent practice concerning his work in Clay County, reports Radio…

Oct 15, 2013 4:50 PM CDT

Private law firm to handle city’s court-appointed indigent cases; will this improve current ‘mess’?

In a controversial plan, the city of Philadelphia is planning to retain a private law firm to handle all court-appointed defense work for indigent individuals at an expected savings of $1 million annually. But will this be an improvement on an indigent-defense system that many see as flawed? The issue…

Oct 8, 2013 7:15 PM CDT

Miami-Dade’s overburdened PD’s office may decline new clients, Florida court says

In 2008, the Miami-Dade County public defender’s office was in crisis mode. The average assistant public defender was handling 400 felony cases at a time and experienced attorneys were juggling 50 third-degree felony trials a week. Defendants suffered, attorneys were struggling, and as a last resort the PDs turned to…

Oct 1, 2013 8:50 AM CDT

Attorney who billed for 29-hour day did the work, his lawyer says

An Ohio lawyer who billed for lengthy work days on court-appointed cases, including one that stretched for 29 hours, is facing a disciplinary proceeding. However, Ben Swift did the work and just needed to keep better records, his lawyer told the Dayton Daily News (sub. req.). The Associated Press also…

Sep 16, 2013 4:19 PM CDT

10th Circuit says judge erred in denying payment to lawyer who challenged execution method

An Oklahoma lawyer who mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to the method of execution eventually used on his client in a death-penalty case is entitled to be paid for his time, a federal appeals court has ruled. Reversing a federal district court’s decision not to award attorney fees to James…

Sep 4, 2013 7:55 PM CDT

Did Durham police chief say criminal defense lawyer deserved to be shot? City probes allegation

The city of Durham, N.C., is probing allegations that Police Chief Jose Lopez said a lawyer injured in a shooting deserved to be shot because he is a public defender. The lawyer, David Hall, was an innocent bystander injured in a shooting on June 22, WNCN reports. A story by…

Sep 3, 2013 12:06 PM CDT

Retired PD is accused of fondling three clients, offering to tie one to the bed

An ethics complaint accuses a longtime public defender in Illinois of fondling three clients and offering to tie one of them to his bed. Lonnie Lutz, who retired as the Coles County public defender in June, is accused in an ethics complaint filed earlier this month. Lutz worked as the…

Aug 19, 2013 12:54 PM CDT