Washington State Courts
09/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/11/2024 13:44
Washington Supreme Court Sets Public Hearing Sept. 25 on Proposed Changes to Indigent Defense
Washington Supreme Court Sets Public Hearing Sept. 25 on Proposed Changes to Indigent Defense
September 11, 2024Washington Supreme Court justices will take testimony on proposed changes to the Court's standards for indigent defense in a public hearing Sept. 25, 2024, from 9 a.m. to noon, in Olympia. The public can testify either in-person or remotely over Zoom. Registration prior to the hearing is required in order to testify in either format.
The hearing will take place at the Thurston County Atrium building, Room 110, at 3000 Pacific Avenue SE in Olympia. The hearing will also be recorded and broadcast live by TVW.
The proposed changes to the Supreme Court's adopted standards for indigent defense would include lowering the maximum caseloads for public defense attorneys, revising some qualification requirements for public defense attorneys, and setting minimum support staffing requirements for public defense attorneys and offices.
The Washington Supreme Court has the responsibility to review the proposed amendments and to decide whether to adopt them (in whole, in part, or with modifications) or to reject them.
The amendments to three Washington Court Rules were proposed by the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) and its Council on Public Defense. For additional background, see our July 17, 2024 press release.
The Supreme Court has invited the following organizations to testify at the hearing on September 25th:
- Association of Washington Cities
- Washington State Association of Counties
- Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
- WSBA Board of Governors
- WSBA Council on Public Defense
- Washington State Board for Judicial Administration
- Washington State Office of Public Defense
After hearing testimony from these organizations, the Supreme Court will open the hearing to testimony from any interested persons.
Testifying and Commenting
The hearing room in the Thurston County Atrium building is wheelchair accessible. Anyone needing accessible communication in order to participate in the hearing can email [email protected].
A limited amount of visitor parking is available in front of the building. Additional free parking is available in a lot a short walk from the building.
To testify at the public hearing on September 25th, either in-person or remotely over Zoom, participants must register in advance using this link.
Those who register will receive an email with additional important information about how to testify. All people who register to testify will receive a Zoom webinar link, including those who registered to testify in person. Registration will close at 8 a.m. on September 25th (one hour before the hearing begins).
Please be aware that time limits on testimony will be necessary to ensure that as many people as possible are able to speak. If there is not sufficient time to hear from everyone who has registered to testify, written comments can be submitted.
Comments can be submitted by email to the Clerk of the Supreme Court at [email protected], or can be sent to P.O. Box 40929, Olympia, Washington 98504-0929. The deadline for submitting written comments is October 31, 2024.
Please note that comments submitted in email form must be limited to 1500 words, however longer comments may be attached to an e-mail message as a document. To review comments that have already been received by the Supreme Court on the proposed amendments, please click here.
A second public hearing will take place November 13. Details will be released in the weeks prior to the hearing. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected].
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