Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Counties push option to create county conflict counsel to control indigent defense costs
Summary
LB859 would let counties create or contract a county conflict counsel office so judges will appoint that office before private counsel when public defenders conflict out; supporters said the change could stabilize rising appointed-counsel costs, while critics cautioned about operational and judicial-appointment issues.
LINCOLN — The Judiciary Committee considered LB859, introduced by Sen. Elliot Bostar, which would let counties establish a county conflict counsel or office to provide constitutionally required representation when public defenders are ethically conflicted or overloaded.
Bostar said the bill is discretionary and does not force counties to adopt the model. "When a conflict counsel is appointed, it is their duty to provide representation in the same manner as the public defender," he said, and argued the statutory priority would make a county‑run…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
