More than 100 people could have their charges dismissed on Tuesday. The reason? They haven’t received a court-appointed lawyer because public defenders in Massachusetts are not taking on new cases.
Public defenders began the work stoppage back on May 27 and have been refusing to take on any new clients until they get paid a higher wage, causing a “catastrophic logjam” of criminal cases. As a result, defendants who have been in custody for weeks without legal representation could get released as early as Tuesday.
According to the Boston Globe, a justice of the state’s Supreme Court ordered the hearings for dozens of defendants who couldn’t afford a lawyer in Middlesex and Suffolk counties and weren’t appointed one…