A Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) policy permitting a judge to hold certain defendants in jail more than one business day before a preliminary appearance was struck down yesterday in a significant win for criminal defendants.
Maureen McKee, a public defender for the past 16 years, is the newest King County Superior Court judge. Many expect she’ll bring a commitment to equal justice and a passion for the rights of those less fortunate to the bench.
Thanks to a pilot project funded by the City of Seattle, the Department of Public Defense is now able to address the civil consequences of a criminal conviction or arrest.
County Councilman Dave Upthegrove has drafted a motion that would forbid law enforcement from questioning a young person detained in the juvenile detention center without an attorney present. DPD thinks it’s high time.
Sadé Smith and Matthew Sanders enter a program that’s not only a feather in their cap but also a way to do even more on behalf of clients and in support of their colleagues.
The team defending Aaron Ybarra gave him the opportunity to tell his story, helping to illuminate the way mental illness can play out in a person’s life.
Ezequiel Apolo-Albino spent eight years in prison wrongfully accused of a crime that never happened. Thanks to the tenacity and legal acumen of Department of Public Defense attorney Amy Parker and DPD investigators Molly Gilbert and Bettye Witherspoon, a Superior Court judge recently signed an order vacating his conviction on two counts of child molestation.
The win last year was a game-changer. Thanks to a class-action lawsuit brought by several public interest attorneys, a federal judge ruled that immigrants with mental disabilities facing deportation proceedings are entitled to a lawyer, a first-ever affirmation of the right to appointed counsel for immigrant detainees.
A powerful new video underscores what many persons with felony convictions in Washington state are never told: Once out of custody and no longer under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections, he or she can register to vote.
After a friend was accosted for wearing the hijab, Dua Abudiab, a public defender at DPD’s TDA division, decided it was time to speak up.
Eight public defenders, with the support of several others at DPD, worked tenaciously to save the lives of three people facing the death penalty in 2015. WSBA is honoring them for their work.
For one frantic hour, DPD employees and community and county partners got a taste of poverty. We learned a lot.
This commentary by Lorinda Youngcourt was originally published in The Seattle Times.
INDIVIDUALS accused of misdemeanors in King County sit in jail for days, weeks, even months, for want of $1,000 bail. Already living close to the edge, they see what few support systems they have unravel while they’re incarcerated — accused but not convicted of a crime.
Lisa Paglisotti, a seasoned public defender, was sworn in as a King County District Court judge on Tuesday, May 24, by Superior Judge LeRoy McCullough. She was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of District Judge Johanna Bender to the county’s Superior Court bench.
