State Supreme Court to hear arguments on defender funding
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is set to hear arguments about whether counties can be sued for not providing enough funding for public defenders.
The arguments scheduled for Pittsburgh on Wednesday grew out of a lawsuit filed by the chief public defender in Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania.
A lower appeals court threw out a lawsuit, saying defendants who don’t receive sufficient representation can file appeals to contest their convictions on the grounds that their attorneys weren’t adequate.
But the public defender, the American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and other advocacy groups say the court should allow lawsuits that address “chronic and systemic funding deficiencies.” They argue that underfunding can cause public defender offices to be understaffed and overworked, violating defendants’ constitutional rights to competent attorneys.