New State Supreme Court Opinion Could Mean Big, Expensive Changes to State Public Defender System
On Monday, April 15, the Georgia Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion that could have major effects on the state’s system of providing defense attorneys for impoverished criminal suspects.
The high court ruled that co-defendants charged together in a criminal case could not be sent to the same public defender’s office–if one of the lawyers in that office said he or she found a conflict of interest in having the office defend more than one person in the same case.
While the opinion was an answer to a seemingly technical question, its effects could be fundamental, and expensive.
It will certainly present major questions to state lawmakers, who have struggled–and fought among themselves–for years, as they looked for ways to shore up the state’s beleaguered system for providing lawyers for poor defendants.
Some of the first lawmakers to face the issue will be the members of State House Judiciary (Non-Civil) Committee, which handles bills involving criminal prosecutions. Broadcast VersionExpanded Version
WABE’s Denis O’Hayer spoke with one committee member, House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, an Atlanta Democrat who is also an attorney.
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