2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 51 - Courts
Chapter 887 - Public Defender Services
Section 51-293 - Public defenders, assistants and deputies; appointment, terms, qualifications, suspension, removal, salaries. Division of Public Defender Services assigned counsel.

(a)(1) The commission shall appoint a public defender for each judicial district and a public defender who shall handle appellate matters and provide legal support services to public defender offices, each of whom shall serve as public defender in the Superior Court and as many assistant public defenders and deputy assistant public defenders for the Superior Court as the criminal or delinquency business of the court may require. (2) This section shall not prevent a judge of the Superior Court from appointing a Division of Public Defender Services assigned counsel on a contractual basis for a temporary period of time in an appropriate case, whose expenses and compensation shall be paid from the budget of the Public Defender Services Commission and in accordance with the rates of compensation approved by the commission pursuant to subdivision (12) of section 51-291. Whenever possible, any such appointment shall be made from a list of attorneys provided by the commission and submitted to the court by the office of Chief Public Defender. Subsequent to an attorney's appointment as a Division of Public Defender Services assigned counsel, the attorney may not solicit or accept from or on behalf of his or her client any money or article of value of any kind either as a fee for services performed or to be performed or as payment for costs or expenses incurred or to be incurred. (3) At the direction of the Chief Public Defender, any Superior Court public defender, assistant public defender, deputy assistant public defender or other person employed by the Division of Public Defender Services may be required to act in such capacity in another judicial district or geographical area when the demands of criminal business or delinquency proceedings necessitate it.

(b) The commission shall appoint, on recommendation of the Chief Public Defender, and fix the compensation of, all other personnel necessary to the operation of the Division of Public Defender Services.

(c) The term of office for public defenders, assistant public defenders and deputy assistant public defenders shall be for four years and until the appointment and qualification of their successors. Any vacancy in the office of public defender, assistant public defender or deputy assistant public defender may be filled by the commission for the balance of the term of the person he succeeds.

(d) Each public defender, assistant public defender and deputy assistant public defender shall devote his full time to the duties of his office, shall not engage in the private practice of law, and shall not be a partner, member or associate of a law firm.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the commission may, if it believes it to be in the best interest of providing efficient defender services to the public, allow one or more public defenders, assistant public defenders or deputy assistant public defenders to serve on a part-time basis in areas where it determines that part-time services more satisfactorily fulfill the needs of the division and the public.

(f) No public defender, assistant public defender or deputy assistant public defender may be removed from office during his term except by order of the commission after due notice and hearing. A recommendation for removal from office may be initiated by the Chief Public Defender.

(g) A public defender, assistant public defender or deputy assistant public defender may be suspended for cause without pay by the Chief Public Defender for a period of not more than fifteen working days. Such a suspension shall be reviewed by the commission at the request of the public defender, assistant public defender or deputy assistant public defender. If the action of the Chief Public Defender is reversed, full payment of salary for the period of the suspension shall be made. A public defender, assistant public defender or deputy assistant public defender may be suspended or continued under suspension without pay for a period of more than fifteen working days only upon a majority vote of the commission after due notice and a hearing.

(h) Public defenders, assistant public defenders and deputy assistant public defenders shall receive salaries as established by the commission pursuant to this chapter. The salaries paid to public defenders, assistant public defenders and deputy assistant public defenders in the Superior Court shall be comparable to those paid to state's attorneys, assistant state's attorneys and deputy assistant state's attorneys in the various judicial districts in the court.

(i) The public defenders and assistant public defenders shall, at the time of their appointment, be attorneys-at-law, admitted to the practice of law in this state.

(P.A. 74-317, S. 4, 14; P.A. 75-479, S. 2, 25; 75-530, S. 26, 35; P.A. 76-189; 76-436, S. 577, 681; P.A. 77-452, S. 21, 72; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 3, 127; P.A. 80-191; 80-287; P.A. 82-248, S. 147; 82-291; P.A. 83-587, S. 60, 96; P.A. 03-278, S. 101; P.A. 11-51, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 75-479 deleted provision in Subsec. (d) re October 1, 1976, deadline for election of part-time defenders to become full-time; P.A. 75-530 specified that expenses of special defender for temporary appointment shall be paid from commission's budget in Subsec. (a)(4) and added reference to defender's actions in delinquency proceeding in Subsec. (a)(5)(ii); P.A. 76-189 amended Subsec. (f) to substitute “all courts” for specific reference to superior and common pleas courts and to delete previous requirement that defenders and assistant defenders in superior court and defenders in common pleas courts have practiced law for five years and that assistant defenders in common pleas and defenders in juvenile courts have practiced law for at least three years; P.A. 76-436 applied provisions to deputy assistant public defenders and amended provisions to reflect transfer of all trial jurisdiction to superior court deleting previous provisions specifically applicable to defenders in common pleas and juvenile courts, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-452 made technical correction in Subsec. (f), deleting “in all courts” for conformity with P.A. 76-436; P.A. 78-280 substituted “judicial district(s)” for “county(ies)” or deleted references to counties where necessary; P.A. 80-191 amended Subsec. (a) to make appointment of public defender mandatory rather than optional, to require appointment of public defender to handle appellate matters and provide legal support services and to apply Subdiv. (3) to persons other than public defenders employed by division of public defender services; P.A. 80-287 added detailed provisions re suspension from office in Subsec. (d); P.A. 82-248 rephrased the section, redesignated parts of Subsec. (d) as Subsecs. (e), (f) and (g) and redesignated the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, and deleted provisions concerning the continuation in service of part-time public defenders who were serving on October 1, 1975; P.A. 82-291 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that compensation of special public defenders be paid in accordance with rates approved by the commission and that after appointment an attorney may not solicit or accept any money or article of value as a fee for services or as payment for costs or expenses; P.A. 83-587 made a technical amendment in Subsec. (a); P.A. 03-278 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(2), effective July 9, 2003; P.A. 11-51 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute “Division of Public Defender Services assigned counsel” for “special assistant public defender” and make a technical change, effective July 1, 2011.

Cited. 194 C. 510; 233 C. 44.

Cited. 40 CA 460.

Subsec. (a)(2) allows court to make discretionary appointment of counsel in a habeas corpus action, but present case concerning conditions of confinement does not rise to the level of requiring such appointment. 49 CS 1.