The lawsuit alleges Pennsylvania does not provide enough funding for the public defense system.
PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA) filed a class-action lawsuit today alleging Pennsylvania does not fund indigent defense enough to provide effective counsel, the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania (PDAP) reports.
Indigent defense is the legal requirement for a government to provide a defendant with an attorney if they cannot afford one. The Supreme Court has interpreted this right to counsel as the right to an effective lawyer as determined in Strickland v. Washington.
A report from the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice found that over 90% of Pennsylvania’s Public Defenders officers do not have enough attorneys. It also found the state is short at least 350 Public Defenders.