State Supreme Court Hears Comments on Proposed Indigent Defense Standards

Last Wednesday, September 25th, the Washington State Supreme Court convened to hear comments on the proposed changes to the Supreme Court's adopted standards on indigent defense. These proposals effectively break down into three changes: lowering the maximum caseload for public defenders (in phases), revising the public defender qualifications, and setting minimum support staffing for offices and attorneys performing public defense.

While WSAC has consistently advocated for more state resources for public defense services, we are deeply concerned about the extraordinary cost of these recommendations and the logistics of implementation.

WSAC, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, and multiple other associations were invited to offer comments on the recommendation. We were pleased to be able to speak for over 16 minutes and answer multiple questions on the issues at hand, and we look forward to pursuing the proposed indigent defense standards further. Watch the 16-minute testimony at the link below or see the entire 3-hour hearing at the link at the bottom

If you have any questions or want to discuss these issues further, please feel free to contact Derek Young, WSAC Interim Executive Director.

Watch the Entire Supreme Court Hearing Here