Ga. Capital Case Revives Controversy Over State’s Public Defender System
In an opinion that once again raises concerns about Georgia's shortage of funds for indigent capital defense, a divided state Supreme Court has sent a death penalty case back to the trial court to determine if a systemic breakdown in the state's public defender system deprived the defendant of counsel. Court records indicate that at least one of the defense attorneys has not been paid for the years he has spent on the case.
