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Bradley W. Parks/Oregon’s public defense system is under severe strain and Chief Justice Martha Walters wrote that the “need for change is too urgent” to delay -
Bradley W. Parks/“The plan I am seeking is one that proposes immediate steps that will enable [the Public Defense Services Commission] to fulfill its obligation to provide lawyers for those who have a constitutional right to representation,” Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters wrote.
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Despite a constitutional right to an attorney, approximately 500 people charged with crimes have been denied a public defender, according to a lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. -
“This is an emergency,” House Speaker Dan Rayfield said Tuesday. “Oregonians are languishing in jail without access to legal representation ...”
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Chief Justice Martha Walters, who leads the state’s judicial branch, asked legislative leaders and Gov. Kate Brown in a letter Tuesday to help plan a summit to find solutions for public defense and public safety.
