New Mexico Supreme Court weighs burden on public defenders
SANTA FE – The New Mexico Supreme Court is considering whether public defense attorneys are being stretched too thin to adequately represent poor people facing possible jail time.
The independent agency overseeing public defense attorneys across New Mexico wants the court to step in and help deal with what it says are overwhelming case numbers, possibly by dismissing some nonviolent offenses or by other emergency measures.
State and local prosecutors insist the concerns are overblown, while a district judge has rejected attempts by defense attorneys to refuse new cases in southeastern New Mexico.
Here is a glance at what is at stake in Wednesday’s oral arguments at the Supreme Court:
Read more: https://www.abqjournal.com/1037883/new-mexico-supreme-court-weighs-burden-on-public-defenders.html