The public defender system and state bar are gearing up in case private lawyers start getting assigned on a massive scale to handle public defender overflow cases.

Tagged with: Cat Kelly Keith Birkes Missouri Bar Missouri State Public Defender System

A recent telephone scam led by scammers identifying themselves as public defenders hit very close to home for Missouri’s top public defender.

Tagged with: Cat Kelly public defenders

Cat Kelly has a pronouncement for anyone who fears her upcoming ascension to director of the Missouri State Public Defender System will make it harder to track her down.

“The Bluetooth is not coming off,” Kelly says. “The cell number will not be changing.”

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At least nine public defender offices across the state have given notice that they may start turning down cases.

Tagged with: Cat Kelly public defenders

Missouri Bar President Skip Walther finalized a task force this week that will ponder solutions to ongoing resource problems for all parts of the criminal justice system. Two past bar presidents, several prosecutors and public defenders and one former lawmaker ...

Tagged with: Cat Kelly Dwight Scroggins J.R. Hobbs Missouri Bar public defenders Skip Walther

The Missouri Supreme Court struck down rules the Missouri Public Defender Commission enacted in 2008 that allow public defenders to refuse certain types of cases.
But, as public defenders read the decision, opinion author Judge Michael A. Wolff shoved open the door to a new option. Public defender offices can't refuse some cases and take others, but particularly burdened offices might be able to refuse to take any new cases.

Tagged with: caseload Cat Kelly Dwight Scroggins Michael A. Wolff Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Missouri Public Defender Commission Missouri Supreme Court

At the urging of a new Missouri Bar governor, the Missouri State Public Defender System may try to recoup some of the $70,000 the system raised to pay for a comprehensive study of its caseload problems. The governor, Marie Kenyon, ...

Tagged with: Cat Kelly Dwight Scroggins Missouri Bar Board of Governors prosecutor public defenders Skip Walther Spangenberg Group

Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed legislation that would have given public defenders greater control over their caseloads. Under the provisions of the bill, the director of the public defender system could notify the court that the public defender is unavailable. ...

Tagged with: caseload Cat Kelly Jay Nixon public defenders