Idaho Public Defender Says $2.2 Million Cut Could Threaten Constitutional Right to Counsel

Idaho Public Defender Says $2.2 Million Cut Could Threaten Constitutional Right to Counsel

BOISE, ID – Idaho’s state public defender worries that additional new state budget cuts approved by the Idaho Legislature’s budget committee will increase workloads and cause the office to lose attorneys that provide legal representation that is guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Idaho State Public Defender Eric D. Fredericksen told the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC, on Wednesday that the cuts will force the …