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Judge: public-defense staffing has improved but remains fragile
Summary
Judge Peterson told the council earlier problems with unrepresented defendants have eased from a peak but warned the system remains vulnerable to staffing changes and caseload surges.
Judge Peterson told the council the region experienced a public-defense crisis that left many people without lawyers; he said the local list of unrepresented, out-of-custody defendants fell from roughly 160 to a floating 1215 as new contracting and hires improved capacity. "We are a busy court," he said, noting the county has three judges and that public-defense contracting limits remain a bottleneck.
The judge cautioned the improvement is fragile: if filings surge or staff leave, the backlog could return. Councilors pressed whether local tools exist to influence public-defender availability; Judge Peterson said local options are limited and that many levers sit with state agencies and contracting structures.
