OMG and get the smelling salts: Missouri agrees to hire more lawyers for the poor

In a rare Jefferson City win for fairness, the Missouri legislature is inching closer to fully funding the state’s public defender office.

We can’t believe it either, but House and Senate negotiators agreed Wednesday to spend $3.6 million to hire 53 additional lawyers for the trial division of the Missouri State Public Defender office. They will join 331 trial lawyers already in the office.

If the full legislature passes the measure, and Gov. Mike Parson signs it, Missouri will finally climb out of the unconstitutional rut that has left thousands of defendants without timely, adequate representation in court. “It’s what we need,” said Mary Fox, director of the MSPD.

The effort has not been easy. Earlier this year, an exasperated state judge gave lawmakers until July 1 to address so-called “wait lists” of defendants, leaving many in custody without publicly-funded lawyers.

It follows our in-depth reporting in 2019, which revealed the stress on public defenders across the state, and the careless way many judges view the rights of the accused.

It will take time to hire people — a jobs fair is planned for June 10. And the attorneys will serve in rural areas, where the lack of defenders is most acute. Training and relocation will take time.

But the Missouri General Assembly has finally addressed this problem. We congratulate lawmakers for doing so, and strongly recommend they try it again. Medicaid expansion would be a good place to start.