The Maine Commission on Public Defense Services has been about $13 million short of what it needs to pay private attorneys who represent low-income clients.
Maine Commission on Public Defense Services
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine’s public defense commission out of money, issues notices to lawyers
Private lawyers who do public defense work were notified that their last payments for the fiscal year will be made this month.
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Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Maine public defense agency will soon run out of money to pay private lawyers
An emergency funding bill failed to garner initial support from the Maine House Republicans, who offered a competing proposal that would take away collective bargaining rights from the state-employed public defenders.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime
Maine woman got lost in the system waiting for a lawyer
Alyssa Mendez was left off a statewide list of people in need of lawyers and was not appointed one until more than 40 days after her first court appearance.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime
Maine’s highest court considering whether state can be defendant in public defense lawsuit
The ACLU of Maine is trying to include the entire state in its lawsuit, not just its public defense leaders. The attorney general’s office says the state is immune.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Judges in Lewiston, Bangor assign public defenders without approval from agency
Two district judges have appointed the attorneys without getting approval from the quasi-state agency that oversees them.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Maine public defense agency announces new director
Frayla Tarpinian is being promoted after leading the state’s first brick-and-mortar public defense office in Augusta for 2 years.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Maine’s high court to decide whether to release defendants, dismiss charges due to public defense crisis
Maine has to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who can’t afford their own representation. In hundreds of cases, defendants are still waiting.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Director of Maine agency for indigent legal defense steps down
Jim Billings is the second director in as many years to step down, following the resignation of Justin W. Andrus in 2023.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime
With Maine judge set to release inmates waiting for lawyers, state high court halts hearings – for now
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court halted habeas corpus hearings so it can consider an appeal from the state over the backlog of defendants waiting for public defenders.