Here’s a link to a story about Jeffery Adachi, the Public Defender of San Fransiscso who recently took on the Mayor, in his own way, after he was stiffed on money to hire additional attorneys to staff new courtrooms to handle minor cases – predominately homeless folks.
And here is a story about the head Public Defender in Frankfort, KY and the litigtion he has initiated to get more funding to handle the caseloads.
March 14th, 2009
The Adachi article is an excellent example of what, personally, I would be looking for in a PD of Cook County.
March 16th, 2009
Well, I think that these articles are good examples of what we hope will NOT happen in Cook County. What we do NOT need is a Managed Health care model of indigent criminal defense. A Spangenberg Group consultant-type well intentioned but ultimately undermining analysis is not helpful. Corporate modeling/cost-benefit analyses of constitutional rights is bound to muffle Gideon’s trumpet.
March 16th, 2009
I found it interesting that the Kentucky lawsuit was dismissed by the judge for lack of standing: “[the judge] found that the department doesn’t have “standing” to bring the lawsuit — that the appropriate party would have to be someone who is denied a lawyer because public defenders have no funds to provide one.”
Most of the questions certified to the Appellate Court in Ed Burnette’s lawsuit against Stroger also involve whether he has standing to bring suit.
March 16th, 2009
Huh? I am confused.
What do you not want to happen in Cook County, Chris?
What is a managed health care model of
indigent criminal defense? I don’t really understand long phrases like that.
Or things with hypens and slashes like “corporate modeling/cost-benefit analyses.
I thought the San Francisco story was just a good story about a leader of a an
office who is
a roll-up his shirtsleeves type of guy. That’s what I would like to see more of.
I didn’t really understand the Kentucky story. Will we ever get it . . . maybe.
April 5th, 2009
Sorry, but I don’t think either of these stories are “inspiring”. Both of them point out the need for more funding for the people who need it the most and have the quietest voices when they ask for help.
Adachi should be staffing the tenderloin court when he has no one else to do it, even if it is part publicity stunt, because it brings light to the issue.
I don’t understand why the attorneys in KY don’t just start refusing cases. They obviously have too many already and run the risk of being ineffective. If they start denying appointment, aren’t the judges going to be more motivated to get their defendants a lawyer? If the system is unworkable, then the pd’s have to force it to change. I feel like it is our duty to do that when necessary.