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Judicial Council urges more public defender funding to avoid costlier assigned counsel
Summary
The Judicial Council told the Senate Finance Committee that a higher public defender appropriation would keep caseloads within contractual limits and save the state money because assigned counsel is substantially more expensive per case than the public defender system.
Jay Buggy, executive director of the Judicial Council, told the Senate Finance Committee the state’s current public‑defender funding level is inadequate given rising caseloads and the end of temporary federal supports that previously bolstered indigent defense funding.
Buggy said the governor’s recommended budget mistakenly listed $27 million for the public defender when it intended $28.8 million; the House restored the missing funds. The Judicial Council recommended additional…
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