With L.A. courts paralyzed by COVID-19, public defenders say caseloads are 'unconscionable'

With L.A. courts paralyzed by COVID-19, public defenders say caseloads are 'unconscionable'
James Queally
© Provided by The LA Times
The Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on March 21, two days after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide "stay at home" order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The email set off alarm bells throughout the Los Angeles County public defender's office.
In a message that reached roughly 1,200 lawyers and staff members, veteran public defender Ernesto Diaz pleaded for help with what he and some of his colleagues described as "unconscionable caseloads." Felony attorneys were representing as many as 70 clients, more than double their normal workload, and some were so stressed out that they were becoming physically ill, he wrote.

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