Washington
Can smaller caseloads help Washington fill its public defender ranks? – My Edmonds News

Too few public defenders and too many cases are stressing the criminal justice system in Washington, with counties struggling to ensure people accused of crimes, but unable to afford a lawyer, receive counsel as they are constitutionally guaranteed.
In less populated counties where finding private attorneys to fill the role can be difficult, cases are getting delayed or dismissed, leaving defendants and victims in the lurch.
Public defenders, prosecutors, judges and local government officials agree on the problem. But they disagree on whether shrinking public defender caseloads is the best immediate solution, as members of a Senate panel heard during a work session last week.
“The crisis is that the accused are going unrepresented, in criminal and in civil cases, throughout the state because of the shortage of public defenders,” Jason Schwarz, director of the Snohomish County Office of Public Defense, told the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
“Without changes in the public defense system, the crisis will get worse, and more people will go unrepresented and their rights violated,” he said. “The victim here in this delay is not public defenders, it’s the defendants and the victims of crime who are subject to delays.”
Recruiting and retaining public defenders is a struggle, especially in rural counties, as experienced barristers retire and newer hires bail for better-paying, less stressful jobs elsewhere, said Larry Jefferson, director of the state’s Office of Public Defense.
“We have justice by geography. Depending on what county you live in determines your access to a public defender,” he said.
A proposal from the Washington State Bar Association to ease pressure on public defenders by reducing caseloads is encountering concerns from prosecutors, judges, and lawmakers on potential costs and unintended consequences.
Under standards adopted by the state Supreme Court in 2012, a full-time public defense attorney or assigned counsel should have no more than 150 felony cases a year.
Last year, the American Bar Association, the National Center for State Courts and the RAND Justice Policy Program released the National Public Defense Workload Study that concluded public defenders should handle far fewer.
Washington’s high court asked the state bar association to weigh in on whether the cap needs adjusting. What the association is recommending is new maximums of 47 felony cases or 120 misdemeanor cases in a year, depending on one’s primary area of practice. This reduction would be phased in over three years.
“These standards I don’t believe are obtainable. I don’t think they are going to happen,” said state Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, a former judge. “What I think is going to happen is more cases will be dismissed and that is going to hurt our society as a whole.”
Derek Young, interim executive director for the Washington State Association of Counties, didn’t quibble with the need. He voiced concern about potential legal repercussions if standards are unmet.
“What I hear with these standards is they are not goals. [But] they say must. And what I hear is a ‘cause of action’ when we don’t meet them,” he said. “It won’t be counties only holding the bags when the cause of action comes, it will be the state of Washington as well.”
Schwarz and Jefferson said workload is at the heart of this crisis and new caseload standards seek to address it in a way that will assure defendants receive counsel that is effective.
“This is the solution. These standards are hard for people to swallow because they are expensive,” Schwarz said. “Without changes, the crisis will get worse.”
Facing a costly reality
The U.S. Constitution and the Washington state Constitution guarantee court-appointed counsel for indigent defendants facing criminal prosecutions.
In Washington, the state picks up the tab for civil commitment actions where people are sent to psychiatric hospitals, representing parents in cases involving child custody, and handling appeals of indigent defendants, according to the suit.
Counties are left to cover legal defense costs for poor defendants in criminal prosecutions. It’s eating up larger chunks of local government budgets as cases multiply, and get more complex and time-consuming.
This past year counties tried unsuccessfully to secure more aid through litigation and legislation.
They sued the state last fall, alleging inadequate state funding leaves counties unable to provide constitutionally adequate defense services for indigent individuals. But a Thurston County Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit in March.
Lawmakers did allot $1 million to increase the ranks of public defenders, including encouraging recent law school graduates or law students who are eligible to practice as legal interns to work in rural areas where the lack of counsel is most pronounced.
Adopting new caseload standards will be pricey. More lawyers, and legal staff must be hired. Complying with new standards could double or triple expenses of counties with a city official telling senators the added cost for the state could average $150 million a year more.
“We are not here to argue against these caseload standards. They were developed by people who know what they are talking about,” Young, with the counties association, said during the committee meeting. “We do need to face reality on what those costs are.”
Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, the committee chair, said the workforce issues are real and the challenge for the Legislature is clear.
“It is May. Hopefully this gives everybody enough time to really come together and figure out how we will move forward,” she said.
by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and Twitter.
Washington
Washington Lottery Powerball, Cash Pop results for May 11, 2026
The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 11, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 11 drawing
24-30-37-56-64, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 11 drawing
09
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 11 drawing
7-6-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Match 4 numbers from May 11 drawing
07-12-18-19
Check Match 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Hit 5 numbers from May 11 drawing
07-09-11-32-42
Check Hit 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Keno numbers from May 11 drawing
05-07-15-27-30-32-35-36-40-43-45-47-49-58-59-62-64-65-72-76
Check Keno payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto numbers from May 11 drawing
01-18-28-34-37-48
Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 11 drawing
09-13-34-42-59, Powerball: 01
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.
To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:
Washington Lottery Headquarters
PO Box 43050
Olympia, WA 98504-3050
For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).
Olympia Headquarters
Everett Regional Office
Federal Way Office
Spokane Department of Imagination
Vancouver Office
Tri-Cities Regional Office
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
- Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Washington
19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed
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This story contains descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender person.
The Seattle Police Department are searching for a suspect after a 19-year-old University of Washington student was stabbed to death in an off-campus student apartment complex on May 10.
Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz told NBC News that the victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female” who was enrolled at the university. The victim has not yet been publicly identified by name. She was found in the housing complex laundry room shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
The housing complex, Nordheim Court, is privately managed but affiliated with the university, located near an upscale shopping center in Seattle’s U-Village neighborhood. According to NBC News, residents received an official alert from UW to stay inside their homes and lock all windows and doors — an alert that was lifted around 1 a.m. with the acknowledgment that “a death investigation remains ongoing.”
According to SPD detective Eric Muñoz, police and the fire department attempted lifesaving measures but ultimately “pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect, believed to be a black male with a beard, 5’6-8” tall, wearing a vest with button up shirt, and blue jeans,” Muñoz wrote in a blotter report.
Muñoz noted that the victim would be identified by the medical examiner’s office in “the coming days.” The SPD did not immediately respond to Them’s request for comment.
This is the seventh known trans person to be violently killed in 2026. In mid-April, 39-year-old transmasculine farmer Luca RedBeard was fatally shot in rural New Mexico. Last week, police in Marion County, Florida opened a homicide investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old who went by multiple names and referred to “transitioning” on social media. In Kentucky, an investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old trans college student Murry Foust remains ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information about the University of Washington case to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, emphasizing that anonymous tips are accepted.
This is a developing story.
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Washington
How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington
On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.
For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.
Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.
Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.
The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.
Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.
The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.
Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.
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