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Public defenders tell Judiciary Committee state offices are understaffed, request more positions and technology funding
Summary
The Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference told the Senate Judiciary Committee it is lean (91% of funds go to payroll), lacks attorneys across districts and requested new positions, pay adjustments for Shelby County, and funding for an AI transcription platform; committee voted to send the request to finance.
The Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 25 that statewide public defense is operating with a heavy workload, limited non‑payline budget items and a need for additional positions and pay parity in some urban districts.
"It's 91% salary and benefits," Patrick Froge, the conference's executive director, said of the statewide budget he presented. He said the conference has a lean non‑payroll budget and that most of the funding is devoted to personnel costs. Froge said the conference receives some revenue from a county court filing fee option and that Shelby and Davidson counties also provide county funding for their offices, which complicates statewide planning and pay parity.
Why it matters: Public defenders represent a majority of accused defendants in many jurisdictions; staffing shortages and pay disparities can affect casework, court speed and reliance on appointed private counsel.
Froge described long‑standing concerns about caseloads: he said recent estimates suggest public defenders now handle around 70% of cases statewide and that, using several national weighting studies and local adjustments, the conference believes Tennessee lacks many lawyers for adequate coverage (he estimated roughly 80 lawyers short systemwide excluding Shelby and Davidson). For the current budget cycle the conference requested a bundle of items including statutory step raises, funding for Shelby County pay adjustment, five defense positions funded in the administration's budget and additional defense positions (Froge said the conference sought a total of 24 positions in this request, and historically has sought larger phased increases).
Froge also described a request for a JusticeText platform, an AI-based tool that can transcribe and help analyze body‑worn and other digital evidence to reduce attorney time spent on evidence review.
Committee action: After the presentation, the Judiciary Committee moved to accept the conference's budget request and referred it to the Finance Committee; the committee roll call recorded nine ayes. The secretary's roll listed Senators Harshbarger, Kyle, Lamar, Roberts, Rose, Stevens, Taylor, White and Chairman Gardner as voting aye.
Froge said the conference is recruiting and that turnover is down to roughly 12 percent; he reiterated the need for additional headcount in districts with high caseloads and described practical barriers to cross‑district sharing of attorneys, which he said would create conflicts and administrative complications.
Ending: The committee approved forwarding the public defenders' request to the Finance Committee for consideration. Froge said the conference will provide further data if requested.
