CHANGE: Pennsylvania Public Defenders Rebel Against Crushing Caseloads.

The situation in Luzerne is not an isolated one. As funding falls and cases continue to flood the system, many already-stressed defender programs across the country are being pushed to the very brink of collapse. And with little hope of state or federal action to remedy the problem, a small but growing number of defender offices are rebelling, suing states and counties over excessive caseloads that their attorneys cannot handle without violating their clients’ constitutional right to effective representation.

Reader John Steakley comments: “To all doctors who think socialized medicine is a good thing, take a look at your future.”