Some of the poor clients who walk into Holly Preslar’s law office in rural Grants Pass, Ore., plop down across from her desk and start bashing their past public defenders. Preslar has to interrupt them. “You realize that I am, ...

Tagged with: Missouri State Public Defender System public defenders

Editor: I read the Taney County prosecutors’ argument that the Public Defender System should be abolished with interest. Using the authors’ own numbers, it would appear that the Public Defender System handles over 83,000 cases for $40 million. I doubt ...

Tagged with: Missouri State Public Defender System public defenders

This is in response to the commentary by Jeffrey M. Merrell and Christopher W. Lebeck (Missouri Lawyers Weekly, Aug. 9) suggesting an elimination of the public defender system. In evaluating their comments, it is important to remember the facts surrounding ...

Tagged with: Missouri State Public Defender System public defenders

Massachusetts The Bay State boasts a slightly larger state population than Missouri (6.6 million to 6.0 million), but it spends four times as much on public defense. Indiana University law professor Norman Lefstein devotes some ink in his upcoming book ...

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The state's prosecutor organization sent out an acerbic statement slamming the state's public defenders for refusing to take cases in three southwest Missouri counties.

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A Christian County judge has overruled a public defender's efforts to decline a case.

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The man who has led the Missouri State Public Defender system for nearly 16 years is retiring.

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The Missouri State Public Defender System announced it is closing a second office to new cases.

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Public defenders in Springfield will not accept any new cases for the remainder of July, the Missouri Public Defender's Office has announced.

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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

Gov. Jay Nixon proposed a $170,000 reduction to the Missouri judiciary’s budget next year, as well as a $2 million increase to the state’s Public Defender System. The Fiscal Year 2011 budget was released last night along with Nixon’s State ...

Tagged with: Jay Nixon public defenders