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Does the Public Defender’s Office represent summary charges?

October 11, 2024

Generally speaking, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that defendants in summary-level offenses for which a citation has been issued are not entitled to court-appointed counsel. This prohibition applies to most summary proceedings before magisterial district judges in non-traffic (NT) and traffic (TR) dockets. However, representation will be provided for certain such offenses where the law provides for the imposition of a jail sentence upon conviction.