The state is nearing settlement with ACLU over indigenous legal services
Maine's public defense agency for the poor and the ACLU are nearing a settlement on a plan to improve legal representation for criminal defendants, lawyers for both sides told the court Friday, though state budget decisions over the next few months may change the final outcome.Carol Garvan, legal director of the ACLU of Maine, and a lawyer for the state both said they are making progress on a multi-year agreement. Details of the proposed settlement are confidential. “We are well into the details of a settlement,” Assistant Attorney General Sean Magenis told the court Friday. Still unknown are the budget and statutory changes that state lawmakers could pass this year that may affect the settlement. Decisions such as to hire public defenders or adjust the mission of the Maine Commission…