DA reports stepped-up circuit-court docketing as justice-court defenders taper new-case intake
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Summary
The district attorney (Justin) told commissioners holiday court closures pushed cases into January, increasing circuit-court filings; he said justice-court public defense capacity decreased after a contracted defender stopped accepting new cases, prompting temporary reliance on circuit filings and contracted defense resources.
Morrow County’s district attorney (identified in the meeting as Justin) briefed commissioners on workload shifts caused by holiday closures and changes in public-defense availability.
Justin said several late-December court closures shifted hearings into January, creating a heavier docket for the circuit court. He reported that a contracted public defender for justice court (Heidi Van Kirk) is no longer taking new justice-court cases, which has required more filings in circuit court and placed strain on regional public-defense capacity. The DA noted Umatilla County experienced similar tap‑out issues and that Morrow County continues to rely on local contracting (named contractor referenced in the packet) to cover appointments.
He said the office is monitoring impacts and expects the county’s workload allocation between justice and circuit court to normalize once a new justice-court defense attorney is selected and services are rebalanced.