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Colin disputes media report on caseloads; WSBA standards and June Supreme Court order prompt recalculation
Summary
Colin told the council that a recent news story claiming Spokane County had released defendants because attorneys could not be assigned was false. He said the office has adopted WSBA caseload standards, is recalculating after a June 9 Supreme Court order, and that all in‑custody clients have been assigned counsel.
Colin summarized work on caseload standards and disputed recent press coverage that he said misstated local practice. He said the SRLJC and related offices have adopted WSBA standards and that a June 9 Supreme Court order altered aspects of how the standards are applied.
On recent reporting, Colin said there has been inaccurate coverage and asked the council to note the official position: "There's been some news coverage that's just quite frankly false," he said. "That is not the case. That has not happened 1 time. We are prioritizing in custody clients for obvious reasons. And at this point, all in custody clients have been assigned since our adoption of the WSBA standards."
An office representative in agreement said they were "shocked by that article" and that staff had received multiple inquiries; the council asked staff to coordinate a public release clarifying assignment practice and standards.
Colin also warned that the Supreme Court's recent order has changed some calculations and that he is redoing the math on caseload weighting; he said there are numerous outstanding issues to resolve with county leaders and code changes may affect workload allocation.
