The New York Court of Appeals has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit targeting the state system of providing public defenders to poor defendants in criminal court. The New York Times reports:
New York’s highest court ruled on Thursday that a broad class-action suit challenging the state’s system of providing public defenders can move forward because there are enough signs that the system is failing poor people, setting the stage for a sweeping battle in the courts and perhaps the Legislature. The 4-to-3 ruling came in a closely watched suit that civil liberties lawyers said could be a model for similar challenges around the country.
The ruling, written by the state’s chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, said that the suit — which had been bitterly opposed by the state — could proceed because it posed fundamental questions about the fairness of the criminal justice system. “Wrongful conviction, the ultimate sign of a criminal justice system’s breakdown and failure, has been documented in too many cases,” the decision said.
