SPOKANE — Two public defenders have filed a lawsuit against Spokane County, alleging the county has established unlawful caseload standards that prevent attorneys from effectively representing their clients.
Victoria Blumhorst, Director of Counsel for Defense, and Colin Charbonneau, Director of Spokane County Public Defenders, are the two public defenders named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Spokane County’s updated code unlawfully increases caseload limits beyond standards set by the Washington State Supreme Court at the beginning of the year. The state court lowered the number of cases public defenders could handle simultaneously to ensure adequate representation.
Blumhorst said the excessive caseloads create significant problems throughout the justice system.
“It can result in longer jail stays. It can result in innocent clients, taking guilty pleas to get released. It delays justice not just for our clients, but for the community and the victims of these crimes as well,” Blumhorst said.
The impact extends beyond individual cases to affect community safety and justice outcomes. Public defenders argue that when attorneys lack sufficient time to work cases properly, it undermines the entire system.
“No matter who you are, if you live in this community, you want to live in a safe one. And it affects that. Because if lawyers have time to work the cases than you’re getting the just outcomes, you’re getting people into treatment, you’re decreasing recidivism. So, less people coming back and you’re saving money,” Charbonneau said.
The caseload crisis has created real-world consequences for families seeking justice. Joshua Daniel has experienced the delays firsthand as his brother’s murder case continues to face postponements. His brother Justin Daniel was killed two years ago, and his ex-girlfriend was charged with the murder.
“This is, uncomfortable. Literally the last place that I would want to be,” Joshua Daniel said about his frequent courtroom appearances.
The case has been repeatedly delayed as public defenders request more time to review evidence, citing concerns about providing ineffective counsel due to their overwhelming caseloads.
“We will get that justice eventually. It will happen. We believe that it’s just really frustrating to get to a point where we felt like we were so close,” Daniel said.
While public defenders maintain that Daniel’s case is not directly related to their lawsuit, they acknowledge that current caseloads create systemic problems affecting all clients and the broader community.
Spokane County disputes the allegations and maintains it follows state standards. The county also argues that the state needs to provide more funding for public defenders to address the underlying problem.
“The challenges facing our public defense system did not arise overnight. Washington State funds approximately 4% percent of public defense statewide, leaving counties – including Spokane County – to shoulder the remaining 96%. This imbalance is unsustainable and is a root cause of the statewide indigent defense crisis,” the county said in a statement.
The county added that “The Code amendment was a net-positive for our public defense system: reducing caseloads and increasing the “weights” given to each matter. Essentially, each public defender now has a lower amount of cases than ever before. It invests more than $13 million annually in public defense services and continues to honor its constitutional and statutory obligations.”
Charbonneau agrees that state funding is part of the problem but argues that Spokane County could also do more locally.
“Should the state pay more? Yeah, I think the state should pay more. But there are other counties that have less criminal filings that have a bigger criminal defense budget than Spokane County,” Charbonneau said.
