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Lewis County adopts new public defense case‑weighting ordinance to meet Supreme Court caseload order
Summary
Lewis County adopted Ordinance 13-71 to implement a case‑weighting system and phased caseload reductions after a June Supreme Court order set new felony and misdemeanor case‑credit standards effective 1/1/2026; the county will track credits and phase in reductions at 10% annually.
Lewis County commissioners adopted Ordinance 13‑71 on Dec. 9 to implement a case‑weighting structure and phased reductions designed to meet a June 9 Supreme Court order revising public defender caseload standards.
Becky Butler, presenting the staff report, said the Supreme Court order requires that, effective Jan. 1, 2026, the caseload standard for a full‑time appointed felony attorney shall be 47 case credits (county record shows current standard as 150), and for a full‑time appointed misdemeanor attorney shall be 120 case credits (current standard shown as 300). The order allows phased implementation with annual reductions of at least 10% of the difference between the current and new standard until compliance is achieved; full compliance must occur within 10 years.
Ordinance 13‑71 creates a case‑weighting system (0.1–2.0 credits assigned per case) to reflect severity, case duration and special circumstances; the county’s public defense coordinator will track assigned cases and credits and report to the Office of Public Defense as part of the county’s annual grant application. Butler said contract approvals for public defense attorneys reflecting negotiated terms are scheduled for Dec. 23.
Commissioners expressed appreciation for the collaborative process with public defense attorneys and for taking a phased approach rather than an immediate, full implementation. The board voted 3-0 to adopt the ordinance.
