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Some inmates in Brown County have filed a lawsuit against several state leaders.
The reason for the lawsuit is because of what they perceive as a violation of the state and federal public defender laws.
The U.S. and State Constitutions each say that a public defender must be named within a “reasonable” time after an individual has their first day in court, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court has clarified that anything beyond 14 days is unreasonable.
The lawsuit filed by eight Wisconsin residents from all over the state claims that it is taking longer than that for newly incarcerated individuals to get the legal help they are legally required to get.
Governor Tony Evers is named in the suit along with several members of the Wisconsin Public Defender Board.
Kelli Thompson, Wisconsin State Public Defender who is also named in the suit, has stated that there is an estimated backlog of 35,000 cases in Wisconsin, which would take years to clear with the current number of public defenders.
Click here to view the full lawsuit.
