What is the State Public Defender Office?

The Idaho Legislature created the State Public Defender (SPD) office in 2023 to consolidate all indigent public defense in the state under one under a single agency. This was done to create efficiencies in the system and establish a state-wide system of professional standards to help ensure any person who is charged with a crime in Idaho who cannot afford a defense attorney gets a robust and professional legal defense.

Who pays for public defense in Idaho?

The State of Idaho took over financial responsibility for public defense from Idaho's 44 counties in 2022. The SPD is paid out of the state general fund, which gives the residents of Idaho's 44 counties some property tax relief on the local level.

How will the SPD be managed?

Idaho Governor Brad Little appointed Eric Fredericksen as the State Public Defender in 2023. Eric runs the agency, which is comprised of an executive team in Boise, deputy State Public Defenders in all of Idaho's seven judicial districts, 12 county-based institutional offices, and a network of private attorneys who do public defense work in the Idaho counties without established public defender offices.

What counties have institutional public defender offices in Idaho?

Ada, Bannock, Blaine, Bonner, Bonneville, Canyon, Gooding, Jefferson, Kootenai, and Twin Falls counties have established public defender offices. The counties of Minidoka and Cassia - and Power and Oneida - have combined offices. The remaining 30 counties had contract agreements with private attorneys to do public defense. Those private attorneys now contract with the SPD.

How will the SPD manage public defense in a state as varied as Idaho?

The SPD will begin uniting public defense in Idaho with two specific strategies. By Oct. 1, 2024, all cases involving public defense will be entered into the Legal Server case management system - and all contract attorneys will be paid the same hourly rate.

Can I track specific public defense cases through the SPD?

No. Our agency manages Idaho's public defense system, not the cases themselves. Specific cases are handled on a county level.

How can I track the progress of active criminal cases in Idaho?

The Idaho Supreme Court has created a searchable state-wide court information website called ICourts (https://icourt.idaho.gov/) where all current and historical criminal cases in Idaho are searchable by name or case number. You can find that at https://portal-idaho.tylertech.cloud/odysseyportal. Please make sure you have the correct spelling of the person you are looking up. Having a specific case number will make searching more accurate.

How does the State Public Defender get assigned to a criminal case? Can I request a public defender?

Only a magistrate or district judge in one of Idaho's seven judicial districts can assign a public defender to a criminal case - and only if the judge determines the person charged with a crime is indigent. The only time someone can request a public defender is if they are charged with a crime and are indigent.

How does the State Public Defender get assigned to a criminal case? Can I request a public defender?

Only a magistrate or district judge in one of Idaho's seven judicial districts can assign a public defender to a criminal case - and only if the judge determines the person charged with a crime is indigent. The only time someone can request a public defender is if they are charged with a crime and are indigent.

Managing/Lead attorneys selected for institutional public defense offices

August 2, 2024 by Patrick Orr

With the hiring of the managing and lead attorneys in 10 of Idaho’s 12 institutional public defense offices, the State Public Defender’s management structure is very close to completion – an exciting and essential development as we get closer to our start date of Oct. 1.

Our executive staff finished interviews for the 12 Managing/Lead Defender positions for Idaho’s institutional public defense offices earlier this week. State Public Defender Eric Fredericksen said he and the rest of the executive staff are thrilled with the level of talent and leadership the SPD now has in place.

The attorneys will work closely with SPD staff, including Litigation Director Doug Nelson, and the Defenders in each of Idaho’s seven judicial districts, to manage the county offices to provide the best defense for indigent Idahoans.

The attorneys selected to run institutional offices for the SPD are:

Ada County – Monica Gray

Bannock County – Ashley LaVallee

Blaine County – Ira Dillman

Bonner County – Catherine Enright

Bonneville County – Jason Gustaves

Canyon County – Erik Ellis

Kootenai County – Ben Onosko

Minidoka/Cassia counties – David Stewart

Twin Falls County – Michell Agee

The executive staff selected John Stosich to be the lead public defense attorney for Jefferson County.

They have not yet decided who will lead the institutional public defense offices in Gooding and Power/Oneida counties at this time but expect to know soon. When that happens, we’ll let you know.

Defenders hired in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Judicial Districts

Congratulations to Jay Logsdon, Joanna McFarland, Isaiah Govia, and Tony Geddes, who have been selected as the District Public Defenders for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Judicial Districts for the […]

Goodbye – and thank you – to the Public Defense Commission

June 27 marked the final meeting of Idaho’s Public Defense Commission (PDC), which spent the last decade working to improve indigent criminal defense across the state. The PDC was created […]

Remembering Michael Clapin

Longtime Kootenai County public defender Michael Clapin passed away late last month. Michael’s family is hosting a celebration of his life this Saturday (Sept. 7) at 1 p.m. at the […]

Welcome to the State Public Defender Office!

The Idaho State Public Defender (SPD) Office is the first in the United States to consolidate all indigent public defense under one agency. The Idaho Legislature and Gov. Brad Little […]

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