Public defender caseload limits may cost Thurston County millions
Aug 12, 2025, 5:03 AM
TCSO deputies, administrators, civilian staff, and Sheriff Sanders packed the court room for the preliminary hearing. (Photo Courtesy of: Thurston County Sheriff Facebook)
(Photo Courtesy of: Thurston County Sheriff Facebook)
Thurston County may need to spend millions of dollars due to new public defender caseload limits.
Under the new standards, which take effect in January, their caseloads will be less than a third of what they are now.
Thurston County Public Defense Director Patrick O’Connor told The Olympian this will be good for both the defenders and the clients.
“Our clients have constitutional rights to counsel, but it’s to effective counsel,” O’Connor said. “Our attorneys spend anywhere from 50 to 70 hours a work week working on cases, and that’s still not enough time. And to have a life outside of their profession can be very challenging. And I speak from experience.”
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Thurston County Commissioner and Board Chair Tye Menser told The Olympian it may cost an additional $1 million a year. He called that figure an “absolute minimum.”
“The state couldn’t find a way to close their budget gap with cuts alone, but we as a county are expected to,” Menser told The Olympian. “The new resources needed for public defense are on top of that significant budget gap we have to address this fall. This would be challenging in any year, but it will be extraordinarily challenging this year.”
The new standards take effect on January 1, 2026. Full compliance is expected by 2036.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
