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Northampton County chief public defender asks committee to make position full time
Summary
The chief public defender requested the county convert the role from part time to full time, citing increased caseloads, growth of diversionary courts and need for leadership continuity; committee moved the request forward for council consideration.
The county’s chief public defender asked the committee to make the chief public defender position a full-time job, citing a substantial increase in caseloads and the growth of diversionary programs that require sustained office leadership.
“I have served proudly as chief public defender since 2018,” the presenter said, and described changes in the office since 1998. He told the committee the office now handles “anywhere from 1,200 to 1,600 adult criminal cases” annually, plus “approximately 400 to 500 juvenile cases,” not counting bail hearings, appellate work, violation hearings or contempt hearings related to protection-from-abuse orders. He also said the office supports veterans court, drug recovery court and mental health court, and that those diversionary programs require advocacy and coordination by the public defender’s office.
The chief public defender argued Northampton County is the only third-class county in Pennsylvania that does not have a full-time chief public defender and described duties that would justify full-time status, including staffing, calendar coordination, communication with judges and treatment providers, and oversight of diversionary-program advocacy. He said some county courts and similar counties (he cited Lehigh County) have appointed, full-time chiefs. The presenter acknowledged the position remains an appointed office and said future county executives would need to support the change.
Committee member Ron asked about staffing. The chief public defender replied the office has 18 lawyers: three full-time public defenders, 15 part-time public defenders, and three support staff; he said he would be the fourth full-time public defender if the position were converted. When asked whether chiefs in other third-class counties are appointed or elected, the presenter said they are appointed.
A motion was made to move the request forward for consideration at the next council meeting. The transcript records that motion but does not show a recorded roll-call vote on the funding or an immediate decision to convert the position.
