The Louisiana Public Defender Board voted to send the hearing committee's recommendation on several district-defender nonrenewals back for further investigation and set a schedule for additional filings and review.

The action follows public comments in which five current or former district defenders accused State Public Defender Raymond Starnes of retaliatory nonrenewals and disparate treatment of women and Black defenders. The board's substitute motion to refer the committee's recommendation for further investigation passed after discussion and a roll-call-style sequence of votes.

Board members said the committee should review supplemental materials that were submitted after the original hearing; the committee set a deadline of 9 a.m. on June 18 for new material and scheduled a public committee meeting at 3 p.m. on June 18 at the State Capitol to reconsider the prior recommendation. The board also scheduled a full-board meeting to consider the committee's recommendation on Monday, June 23 at 1:30 p.m.

Why it matters: public defenders and criminal defense groups told the board that immediate review is needed because several district-defender contracts are set to expire June 30, raising questions about continuity of representation and the board's oversight role.

What the board did and why: Judge Demaier, chair of the hearing committee, introduced the committee's findings but board members raised timing and completeness concerns, noting statutory requirements the board must follow (discussed in the meeting as "15 161" and "15 170"). A substitute motion was made to return the matter to the committee for further investigation of supplemental information, and the motion passed.

Public comment and the allegations: During the public-comment period, five experienced district defenders and allies spoke on the record. Brett Brunson, who said he had served as a chief public defender in Natchitoches Parish, called his termination "retaliation" and tied it to his public testimony opposing Senate Bill 8 and to objections he said he raised about the state public defender's conduct. Michelle Andrepaul, who identified herself as district public defender for Caddo Parish, said she and others received one-sentence termination notices effective June 30 with no cause given and described the letters as retaliatory. Trisha Ward, Deirdre Fuller and John Hogue gave similar testimony on experience, performance records, and their view that the nonrenewals lacked just cause.

Legal and procedural context: Speakers and some board members repeatedly cited the recent legislative changes that created the current board and the statutory provisions discussed at the meeting, including references to "Section 161 H-1," "161 H-2," and the hearing provisions of "Section 170." Several speakers and committee members said legislative testimony by the state public defender and comments from legislators indicated that nonrenewals should be subject to board review for good cause.

Board members' concerns and next steps: Multiple members said they had received additional documents after the committee's hearing and that the committee had not had the opportunity to consider them. To address that, the committee set an explicit submission deadline (June 18, 9 a.m.) for any party wishing the committee to consider new written materials, and scheduled a public committee meeting June 18 at 3 p.m. The committee will issue a recommendation after that review; the full board will then vote on the recommendation at the June 23 meeting.

Distinctions among discussion, direction and decision: The board's vote to send the matter back to the committee is a formal direction to investigate further; it does not reverse or affirm any prior committee findings. Public comments and assertions of retaliation were heard during the public-comment portion and recorded for committee consideration; the board did not make findings on those allegations at the meeting.

Quotations (selected): "I believe it was retaliatory and I am not alone," said Deirdre Fuller, who described her termination and her role as Rapides Parish chief public defender. "The district defenders are afraid to even discuss this among themselves due to a well grounded fear of immediate termination," a board member relayed from a confidential email that was read into the record.

What remains unresolved: The committee must decide whether the supplemental material alters its original recommendation and whether any remedy (including reinstatement) is appropriate before June 30. The board's ability to direct interim staffing if contracts lapse was also discussed; State Public Defender Raymond Starnes said he plans to appoint interim district defenders and proceed with new contracts July 1.

Ending: The committee's June 18 meeting and the board's June 23 session will determine whether the earlier recommendation stands, is modified, or is rescinded after the committee reviews the new materials.