Public defenders in New Orleans stopped taking complex felony cases in January due to depleted resourcesthe result of Louisianas poor funding formula for services to aid those who cant afford lawyers. Louisiana is bound by both its state constitution and the U.S. constitution to provide these services no matter what. That obligation has been compromised, however. Since the public defenders stopped taking these cases, judges have been assigning them out to private attorneys. Now, the private lawyers are looking to pull out of these cases, as well.
What should happen with the people whove been sitting in jail for months some of them years because there are no lawyers available to them? They should be released, says Pamela Metzger, a Tul…
Read the full article at: http://www.citylab.com/crime/2016/03/if-new-orleans-cant-supply-public-defenders-should-suspects-be-freed/475944/