DA says dearth of indigent defenders poses problems for his office

As District Attorney Hillar Moore III looks to the year ahead, one of the biggest challenges his office will face, ironically, is a funding shortage in the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Defender’s Office, which provides free attorneys to criminal defendants unable to afford their own attorneys. Moore says it’s a real problem because the local public defender’s office has just three (out of 40 or so) attorneys who are qualified to represent defendants in death penalty cases. What’s more, the Louisiana Public Defender Board, which provides support to the district defender offices, doesn’t have enough money to pitch in and help out. As a result, Moore’s office has several death penalty cases on hold and is unable to bring any additional cases in kind forward. “Basically, right now a number of our cases are stalled because the local public defender and the Louisiana Public Defender [boards] are filing these motions and letters saying they don’t have enough people qualified to handle cases and don’t have enough money to hire private counsel,” he says. “I object to that.” Moore says the local public defender’s office does a good job, but he wants to better understand how much money it has, how its funds are spent, and how to secure additional funds for indigent defender programs at the local and state levels. A Daily Report call for comment to the East Baton Rouge Public Defender’s Office was not returned. —Stephanie Riegel