PSJD News Digest – June 7, 2024
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hello, interested public! Lots of stories about public defender staffing and funding this week (and one about prosecutors as well). These stories and more are in the links below.
Take care,
Sam
Editor’s Choice(s)
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Recruiting and retaining: Legal aid groups look for ways to keep pace with private firms (The Indiana Lawyer; 5 Jun 2024)
Non-Profit & Government Management & Hiring
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Arab American lawyer sues firm that revoked job offer over Gaza comments (Washington Post; 31 May 2024)
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Standards Are Murky As Legal Employers Vet Protesters (Law360; 3 June 2024)
Student Loans & Student Debt
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Student-loan servicer illegally collecting on debt that was discharged in bankruptcy, CFPB alleges (Marketwatch; 31 May 2024)
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DFPI Launches Network to Help Californians Navigate Their Student Loans (California Dept. of Financial Protection & Innovation; 3 Jun 2024)
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Biden's revised student loan debt plan faces new legal challenge in federal court (KDSK [NBC]; 3 Jun 2024)
Access to Justice – Civil & Economic
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Social Workers Could Provide Legal Services Under New USU Program (Utah State University; 4 Jun 2024)
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Eviction defense programs reach few Multnomah County tenants in need, study finds (Oregon Public Broadcasting; 3 Jun 2024)
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SDNY Taps Nonprofit To Run Clinic For Pro Se Litigants (Law360; 4 Jun 2024)
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NY Legal Aid Groups Embrace AI, but Cost Concerns Remain (Bloomberg Law; 31 May 2024)
Access to Justice – Criminal
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Pay raises for Wisconsin prosecutors and public defenders have slashed vacancies (Wisconsin State Journal; 31 May 2024)
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Where [The Topeka Capital-Journal] stand[s] on Topeka's homelessness guidance, public defender raises and more (Topeka Capital-Journal; 1 June 2024)
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Public defender shortages [across Pennsylvania] (Penn Today; 3 Jun 2024)
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Bill aimed at assisting [IL] public defenders falls short this spring, backers say they’ll try again in fall (Chicago Tribune; 3 Jun 2024)
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Free lawyers for low-income defendants are in 'crisis,' says New York's top judge (Gothamist; 4 Jun 2024)
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Appellate court affirms ruling, releasing defendants from jail who don’t get public defender (Oregon Public Broadcasting; 31 May 2024)
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Lancaster County [PA] public defender's office awarded $104K state grant for indigent defense (Lancaster Online; 6 Jun 2024)
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[Nevada] Lawmakers urged to stop letting courts charge fees for public defenders (Nevada Current; 2 Jun 2024)
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Can smaller caseloads help Washington fill its public defender ranks? (Washington State Standard; 4 Jun 2024)