by Samantha Hogan | March 17, 2021
A joint committee of lawmakers has endorsed adding at least $21 million to the budget for legal services for Maine’s poor in defiance of Gov. Janet Mills, who said she would not increase funding for the state’s public defense office until it demonstrated more...
by Samantha Hogan | February 28, 2021
Gov. Janet Mills intends to fill multiple vacancies on the state commission that oversees the public defense system as early as next month. Mills has the authority to appoint nine people to a board that oversees the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, or...
by Samantha Hogan | February 26, 2021
The temporary director of Maine’s public defense agency likened his first month on the job to a doctor performing “triage” as he has tried to restore financial and operational integrity to a fraught state agency. Justin Andrus intended to reopen his...
by Samantha Hogan and Agnel Philip | February 23, 2021
Editor’s Note: This article was produced in partnership with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. The Maine Monitor is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. Soon after receiving his license to practice law in Maine...
by Samantha Hogan | January 10, 2021
Maine’s nine-member public defense commission unanimously selected a temporary director but won’t reveal who it is until the candidate accepts the position, likely early next week, Chairman Josh Tardy said during a meeting Friday. The change in leadership at the...
