The class-action lawsuit alleges several county departments are keeping people who can’t afford their own defense in jail for months without assigning an attorney.
YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington has filed a class-action lawsuit against Yakima County, the Yakima County Department of Corrections, Yakima County Superior Court, and several county officials. The lawsuit is on behalf of lower-income people charged with crimes in Yakima County Superior Court who have not had an attorney assigned to their case.
According to an ACLU-WA press release, Yakima County has a shortage of public defenders going back to at least 2022. The release
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