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Marathon County judges and staff warn attorney shortages are slowing cases, canceling court dates
Summary
Judge O'Neil told the Public Safety Committee that shortages in prosecutors and public defenders have grown worse, forcing at least one court cancellation and prompting renewed local efforts on recruitment and case‑processing reforms.
Judge O'Neil told the Marathon County Public Safety Committee that a persistent shortage of attorneys is slowing prosecutions and court processing across the county and region. "For the first time in this county, we had to cancel court this week... because there were no prosecutors available," he said, describing vacancies in both prosecutorial and defense offices.
The judge said the district attorney's office and the state public defender's office are understaffed, leaving the court system short on personnel to review reports, bring cases forward and cover hearings. He said the public defender's office was three attorneys short and the district attorney's office…
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