Judiciary committee votes unanimously to fund public defender office

AUGUSTA, Maine — The Sixth Modification of the US Structure ensures a legal defendant the appropriate to have an lawyer defend them. In 49 states, lots of these attorneys are state workers. Right here in Maine, they’re impartial contractors.

LD 1686 was proposed to vary that.

“We’ve not but reached the day that somebody does not have a lawyer as a result of we can not discover them in order that’s good however we’re frightened about that day and I do suppose that day is coming,” stated Justin Andrus, government director of the Maine Fee on Indigent Authorized Companies.

He added that it is a specific drawback in rural components of the state like Aroostook and Washington counties.

State lawmakers have determined to make use of $1.2 million to attempt to repair that drawback by funding LD 1686. The invoice will enable the Fee on Indigent Authorized Companies to rent 5 public defenders who could be despatched to any courthouse within the state.

“It is small at this level nevertheless it’s actually important as a result of … as a state, we have by no means employed a public defender earlier than,” stated Sen. Lisa Keim, R-Dixfield.

“It is normally rural Maine that for no matter motive, even when there are attorneys there, there simply normally aren’t sufficient or there is a battle of curiosity,” Keim added.

She and her fellow judiciary committee members have been unanimous within the want for a public defender unit.

“It was a big effort very unexpectedly put collectively on the final minute to say, ‘What can we do even to create a small however very important step ahead?’” Keim stated.

Andrus and Keim each stated that these 5 attorneys will not resolve what’s mistaken with the general public defender system, however the brand new regulation is a begin.