Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services
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PublishedApril 18, 2023
Maine’s commission on indigent defense to make job offer to executive director candidate
The commission's current director, Justin Andrus, announced this year that he will leave the position by June 30.
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PublishedMarch 10, 2023
Advisers to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights urge Maine lawmakers to pay for indigent defense
Lawmakers recommend keeping $150-an-hour pay raise for lawyers and adding a $3 million public defender office.
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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 31, 2023
Former leader of Maine public defenders says job not what he expected
Seth Levy resigned after less than a month but said he is still optimistic about the role of a public defender's office in Maine.
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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.