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PublishedMarch 1, 2023
Maine attorneys coming back to court-appointed rosters
The Maine Legislature's recent hike in pay for court-appointed private criminal defense attorneys is aimed at combating a chronic backlog of cases clogging up the state's courts.
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PublishedFebruary 27, 2023
Increased pay has bolstered ranks of attorneys representing indigent clients
But the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services says that the pay increase needs to be extended beyond this summer and that more needs to be done to stabilize the program and meet the state’s constitutional obligations.
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PublishedJanuary 25, 2023
Maine’s new lead public defender resigns
The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services called an emergency meeting Wednesday to allow its executive director to temporarily fill the role left by Seth Levy.
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PublishedJanuary 21, 2023
Maine Voices: Increased state funding for indigent defense is a starting point
Maine needs an organized system by which public defenders are trained, supervised, evaluated and deployed.
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PublishedJanuary 17, 2023
New funding for Maine’s legal defense system for the poor not enough to solve problem, commission says
Gov. Janet Mills' plan to increase funding for the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services by $17 million pales in comparison to the agency's $62 million request.
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PublishedJanuary 13, 2023
Commentary: Bedrock constitutional principles trampled by Maine’s indigent defense crisis
Dozens of accused people, presumed innocent, are languishing in Maine jails without an appointed attorney. An immediate influx of funding is required.
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PublishedNovember 27, 2022
System to help poor defendants is worsening in rural Maine
Attorneys staffing the struggling indigent defense program say the solutions they're seeing can't keep up with the systemic problems.
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PublishedOctober 11, 2022
Gov. Mills hesitant to pursue emergency funds for indigent legal services, emails show
Gov. Janet Mills asks the agency in charge of providing legal defense to low-income Mainers if it has done enough to recruit attorneys to address an ongoing shortage.
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PublishedOctober 7, 2022
Maine attorney general, ACLU agree to settlement talks in indigent legal services case
The dispute centers on whether the state provides effective legal representation to the state's poor.
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PublishedSeptember 28, 2022
Indigent defender commission sends emergency funding request to governor, lawmakers
The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services is asking for $13.3 million before next year to increase the hourly rate for attorneys. But lawmakers would have to come together for an unlikely special session to approve the spending.
Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services
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