Washington State Supreme Court seeks feedback on proposed rule change for public defense

STATEWIDE -- The Washington State Supreme Court is looking for feedback about the Office of Public Defense.

The Washington State Bar Association is proposing new rules that would drastically cut down on the number of cases that public defenders could take.

WSBA said we need a change because public defenders are so overworked that new lawyers aren't willing to get into public defense and current public defenders are quitting.

The Offices of Public Defense in Benton and Franklin Counties have warned that they're already pushed to the limit and the new rules would overwhelm the court system.

The State Supreme Court is deciding whether to accept the proposed rule change.

If you would like to weigh in, send your thoughts to supreme@courts.wa.gove anytime between now and the end of October.

To find more information on Public Defense changes, click here.

MORE ON APPLEVALLEYNEWSNOW.COM

​COPYRIGHT 2024 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.