A plan to release some Maine defendants who are sitting in jail for weeks or even months without assigned attorneys is set to be unveiled Monday.
Maine Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy ruled last month that hundreds of Maine residents are being denied their constitutional right to legal representation due to an ongoing public defender shortage in the state.
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The decision came after the ACLU of Maine filed a lawsuit against the state, challenging its failure to provide lawyers for low-income defendants.
The ruling mandated that the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services, which is responsible for assigning public defenders, come up with a plan to address the crisis.
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Additionally, starting this month, any defendants who have waited more than two weeks for a lawyer will be released from jail. And charges other than murder wll be dismissed if a defendant has waited over two months for an attorney.
According to News Center Maine, a hearing is scheduled for Monday to allow the judge to review the state's response and determine the next course of action.
