By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports
The Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee on Wednesday approved a supplemental appropriation of $435,000 to pay for the costs of a multi-year lawsuit against Idaho’s public defense system.
The committee unanimously agreed to fund the costs of the Tucker v Public Defense Commission litigation. An Ada County judge dismissed the lawsuit in February under the stipulation that the state can never go back to its old county-funded public defense system.
The supplemental budget request does not include the cost of prior litigation in Tucker v Idaho that has been ongoing with the Attorney General’s Office since 2015.
The Attorney General’s special litigation program has $740,700 in base appropriation. It had expended $575,000 as of Wednesday. In October, the office anticipated costs for Fiscal Year 2024 to be $500,000.
If fully funded, the supplemental appropriation would bring the Attorney General’s special litigation program budget up to $1,175,700.
Ruth Brown | Producer
Ruth Brown grew up in South Dakota and her first job out of college was covering the South Dakota Legislature. She’s since moved on to Idaho lawmakers. Brown spent 10 years working in print journalism, including newspapers such as the Idaho Statesman and Idaho Press, where she’s covered everything from the correctional system to health care issues. She joined Idaho Reports in 2021 and looks forward to telling stories about how state policy can impact the lives of regular Idahoans.