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A federal judge ruled earlier this month that Oregon jails must release people from jail if they haven't been assigned a lawyer after seven days. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put a temporary hold on that order.
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“The problem is institutional, and it is statewide,” U.S. District Court Judge Michael McShane wrote.
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Oregon lawmakers convene the 2023 legislative session in January, and leaders from both major parties say that improving the criminal justice system – specifically the severe shortage of public defenders – is among their top priorities.
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Oregon is once again being sued over the state’s troubled public defense system that’s left hundreds of people facing criminal charges without the court-appointed attorneys that they’re entitled to under the U.S. Constitution.
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Jessica Kampfe, who heads a public defense nonprofit in Portland, would take over a state agency that has left hundreds without attorneys
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Stephen Singer, who until August was the executive director of the Office of Public Defense Services, says his firing violated state laws designed to protect whistleblowers and charged the head of the Oregon Supreme Court with violating her authority under state law.
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Steve Singer had led the Office of Public Defense Services since January. Oregon Chief Justice Martha Walters wanted him out — and ensured that happened with a rejiggered commission.
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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
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“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.
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“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.