Resources on Public Defense
The resources below offer a comprehensive view of challenges, proposed solutions, and evolving standards in both Oregon and across the country. We invite you to explore these materials for deeper insights into the state of public defense.
Oregon Reports, Studies, & Opinions
“State of the Sixth: Oregon," Sixth Amendment Center
Oregon Bar Ethics Opinion 2007-178
National Analysis
American Bar Association
“ABA Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System”
“National Public Defense Workloads Standards”
“Securing Reasonable Caseloads: Ethics and Law in Public Defense”
RAND
“National Public Defense Workload Study”
SIXTH AMENDMENT CENTER
“The State of the Nation on Gideon’s 60th Anniversary”
National Institute of Justice
Public Defense News
“Marion County judges will start deciding if public defenders have time to take new cases” - Salem Reporter, March 14, 2025
“Multiple criminal cases against PSU protesters dropped after attorneys discover footage” - Oregon Public Broadcasting, Feb 21, 2025
“Defenseless: Lack of public defenders creates a crisis for indigent clients and increased caseloads for lawyers” - ABA Journal, Aug 1, 2024
“A Public Defender Couldn’t Reach Her Client Inside the Dysfunctional Multnomah County Jail” - Willamette Week, July 26, 2023
“Pandemic pushes Oregon’s public defender system to the brink” - AP News, May 10, 2022
Oregon chief justice asks lawyers to act as public defenders - KGW, Jan 28, 2022
'Every attorney is doing the work of 3 attorneys': Report shows Oregon needs more public defenders - KGW, Jan 25, 2022
