KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — Idaho's public defense system is about to undergo a seismic shift, leaving many attorneys and officials concerned about the future of legal representation in the state.
Beginning Oct. 1, a system 10 years in the making will give the newly formed State Public Defender office broad control over county public defense services. The changes, made in response to lawsuits over the state’s deficiencies in public defense, mean new rules and a pay scale that are already driving experienced attorneys away.
“I am gravely concerned our Idaho State Constitutional mandate to provide representation to indigent persons cannot be met and the new system will fail,” said Kootenai County Commissioner Leslie Duncan. “I always try to remain hopeful, but I am currently not seeing how our mandate will be met.”
Right to an attorney
Ahead of the changeover, several attorneys have left the Kootenai County Public Defender’s Office.
Among them is Anne Taylor, who led the office from 2017 until this July when she returned to private practice. Before becoming the county’s chief public defender, she worked for the office from 2004 to 2012.
“I intended to stay until I retired,” she said. “It was my dream job.”
Taylor’s reservations about the state-run system are no secret. Last year, she shared with legislators her concerns about political influence on the work of public defenders in a system where the governor chooses the director of public defense.
She said she believes the new system is underfunded and was created too quickly.
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