SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Municipal Court is seeing record case numbers as new state limits reduce how many cases public defenders can handle, creating growing pressure on the court system.
Municipal Case filings are rising at the same time Washington state is lowering caseload limits for public defenders. The city’s deputy administrator warned city leaders Monday that mismatch is creating a backlog that could delay cases and potentially lead to charges being dismissed if attorneys are not available.
Under Washington’s updated standards, full-time public defenders handling misdemeanor cases, like those typically seen in municipal court, are limited to about 400 cases per year, with new rules gradually lowering workloads over time…