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Fridays in Ottawa County’s courts when criminal defendants often are arraigned without legal representation are referred to as “McJustice Days.”
In Sault Ste. Marie, attorneys representing the poor have little time to prepare and wait in line to meet with their clients in the courthouse’s unisex bathroom.
In Wayne County, court-appointed attorneys haven’t received a raise in decades and say they often take on more cases than they can handle.
Frustrated by a lack of progress, a “last resort” lawsuit on behalf of poor criminal defendants alleges a state commission’s public defense system violates defendants’ constitutional rights.
Civil rights lawyers sued Maine officials on behalf of impoverished criminal defendants on Tuesday, alleging the state failed to create an effective public defense system in violation of their constitutional rights. Maine doesn’t supervise the.