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PublishedSeptember 27, 2024
Trial over Maine’s indigent defense crisis set to begin in December
The trial will address whether the state is violating the constitutional rights of hundreds of Maine defendants who are entitled to legal representation but are still waiting for a lawyer – and if so, how to fix it.
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PublishedAugust 26, 2024
Maine public defense office submits early $64.5 million request for next budget
The proposal includes new public defense positions and emergency measures to help find lawyers for hundreds of unrepresented criminal defendants.
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PublishedAugust 21, 2024
‘No easy fix’ to Maine’s indigent defense crisis, director tells lawmakers
The executive director of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services tells the Government Oversight Committee that defendants in over 860 criminal cases need an attorney.
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PublishedAugust 18, 2024
Public defender’s offices are opening across Maine. The next step: Staffing them.
In Bangor, at the epicenter of the state’s indigent defense crisis, the district defender has only been able to fill one of five positions.
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PublishedJuly 28, 2024
The Maine Supreme Court asked large law firms to help with the public defender crisis. For the most part, they haven’t.
But criminal defense attorneys warn that their work is specialized, and not just any lawyer can step in and provide quality legal representation that ensures the rights of the accused are protected.
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PublishedJuly 25, 2024
Maine’s public defense commission relaxes some of its attorney eligibility rules
In an effort to address the state's public defense crisis, the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services voted to make it easier for some lawyers to get waivers for their experience and training requirements.
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PublishedJuly 7, 2024
Maine’s public defender crisis devolves into a blame game
A judge lowered an Auburn man's bail because she couldn't find an attorney to represent him for weeks. The deadly violence and fire that followed his release has led to recriminations.
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PublishedMay 28, 2024
Defense attorneys, ACLU question whether new bail reviews for unrepresented defendants are working
Maine judges are holding weekly hearings for poor Mainers who can't find a court-appointed attorney. But in the last six months, the number of people waiting has grown from 100 to more than 630.
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PublishedMay 25, 2024
ACLU allowed to add Maine attorney general to lawsuit on indigent defense
A court on Thursday granted the ACLU’s petition to add Attorney General Aaron Frey to a suit that accuses the state of failing to provide lawyers to poor Mainers.
Maine Commission on Public Defense Services
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