Governor urged to act on indigent defense bill

In an Op Ed published by Syracuse.com, New York State Bar Association president Claire P. Gutekunst urges Gov. Cuomo to sign the indigent criminal legal defense bill, noting that full funding is "consistent with a mandate imposed more than 50 years ago."

The bill passed by both houses would provide for state funding of public-defense services in all of New York's counties, phased in over seven years.

This would...(u)ltimately ensure that eligible defendants represented through the public-defense system receive the quality legal representation to which they are constitutionally entitled, regardless of where they were prosecuted.

For more on this bill, click here.