Featured News
- Jun 16, 2025After the unanimous passage of SB 5780 in the 2024 Legislative Session, the Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD) established a Recruitment and Retention Program. The program addresses the critical shortage of public defense attorneys in rural and underserved parts of the state, which continues to threaten the right to counsel and courts’ ability to function efficiently. As a part of this program, this June OPD officially launched its Rural Public Defense Fellowship (RPDF). Through the RPDF, 12 rising third year law students are interning in 11 rural and underserved jurisdictions across the state. The program was recently featured on Matter of Fact, with Soledad O’Brien
- Jun 9, 2025Supreme Court of Washington Order No. 25700-A-1644.
In the matter of the standards for indigent defense implementation of CrR 3.1, CrRLJ 3.1, AND JuCR 9.2.
Starting in 2026, felony defenders will be capped at 47 cases per year, with phased implementation over 10 years. The Court encourages case weighting and plans to evaluate progress after three years.
The new limits stem from the Court’s review of a national workload study and recommendations from the WSBA Council on Public Defense. The move aims to address widespread concerns about excessive public defender caseloads and ensure defendants receive quality legal representation. Public hearings and extensive internal discussions shaped the Court’s decision, with further rule amendments expected soon. - May 8, 2025On any given day, 190,600 women and girls are incarcerated in the United States, over 60,000 women are detained pretrial, presumed innocent, caged in U.S. jails simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. Their average yearly income is just $11,000. Over 66% are mothers with minor children. More information about the Let Her Go Home project.
Upcoming Events
- Fri, Jun 27 2025, 9:30am - 3pm
From the Director
The Office of Public Defense believes in providing justice through service to our community, prioritizing equity and excellence in all we do. Ensuring justice means embracing a multidisciplinary approach to providing public defense services, ensuring that each individual is met where they are at with the help they need in their case.
This core value propels our team of dedicated advocates to address the far-reaching causes and consequences of justice involvement. We are dedicated to collaborating across disciplines, pooling diverse expertise and perspectives to accomplish our mission.
We want to extend our sincerest gratitude to our partners and supporters, who are integral to our efforts to break down the barriers that stand in the way of access to justice for all. Together, we can champion a system that ensures justice for every individual, family, and community in the State of Washington.
