Committee advises confirmation of Andre DeGree as state defender; nominee outlines youth-court, backlog and rural public‑defender plans

Judiciary Division A voted to advise and consent on Senate Nomination 59, advancing Andre DeGree for a four‑year term as state defender after a confirmation hearing in which DeGree outlined plans to expand youth‑court representation, address a backlog of cases in Hinds County and launch a rural public‑defender pilot.

DeGree, who said he has lived in Jackson about 37 years, traced his public‑defense work from a federally funded death‑penalty resource program at Mississippi College Law School to the Hinds County Public Defender’s Office and the Capital Defense Council. He said those offices were merged into the state public defender office and that he was first appointed state defender by Gov. Phil Bryant in 2016 and later reappointed by Gov. Tate Reeves.

The nominee described three current initiatives. First, he said…