BOISE, Idaho — Eric Fredericksen was appointed by Governor Little almost two years ago to run the newly created Public Defense Commission.

“We were under-funded, under-staffed, and we were not meeting our constitutional obligations,” Fredericksen said.

The plan was to restructure public defenders in the state’s 44 counties and put them under one roof. “We don’t have enough attorneys, and so our caseloads for our attorneys are too high at this point in time, so we’re working at getting that down, and the only way to do that is to have more attorneys,” Fredericksen said.

So they went to lawmakers this spring with an increased budget that fits those goals. “Our goal is to make sure that to attract attorneys that we need to pay them what they need to be paid for the quality representation that they do,” Fredericksen added.

The Legislature agreed and approved the budget. So, starting June 1, public defenders will get the bump in pay that many had been asking for.

“So, the contractors go from 100 dollars an hour to 125 an hour, which is a pretty good-sized bump up for them, and it’s much needed,” Fredericksen said.

Fredricksen truly believes that once somebody goes into public defense, it’s harder to get them out. “It’s the clients and the work you do, it’s fascinating work. Every day you’re doing something different, and cases are interesting, and you really grow to love your clients.”