Budget shortfall

Well, it turns out that a certain, high-profile death penalty case has cost the state-wide public defender council way too much money. The fellow has four, full-time lawyers, all appointed at state expense. Granted, the case is complex, as it involved multiple deaths, one of which involved an elected official. And, the incident was covered fairly extensively by the national medai. As a result, there will be a budget shortfall.

Apparently, the state-wide public defender council was told that they can expect to start laying people off, starting in February.

Luckily, almost everyone in my office is a county employee. But it is a shame to see all the forward momentum that the state has experienced in indigent defense over the passt two years potentially stall over monetary matters.