Northampton County's Chief Public Defender, Nuria DiLuzio, told Northampton County Council yesterday that her office, which is appointed by the Executive as an exempt position, should be converted from part-time to full-time.
DiLuzio, whose first job as a lawyer was as a full-time assistant public defender, argued that the criminal justice system has changed since she first started in 1998, and with it so have the demands on her office. Its workload consists of 1200-1600 adult cases and 400-500 juvenile delinquency cases a year. In addition, her office also handles bail, protection from abuse contempts, appeals to higher courts and probation hearings. Finally, her office is involved with problem solving courts.
She noted that NorCo is the only third class county without a full-time chief public defender. "This is a full-time job," she asserted, and one that needs "strong leadership."
DiLuzio's office has three full-time and one 15 part-time assistants, along with three employees who are support staff. She also intends to hire a social worker, dependent on receipt of grant money.
She has the support of Council member Ron Heckman, who said he supported her request after listening to her argument.
Her request will be taken up by the entire County Council tonight.
17 comments:
She is completely right, the position needs to be full time and not subject to the political winds of the executive’s office.
John was a great DA and is a great judge. But, his decades of strong leadership in the DA’s office contrasted with structurally weak PD’s office, that turned over with every executive, has lead to the fuckery that is the Northampton County criminal justice system.
Will she run as a Democrat or a Republican?
She just can't get enough private law clients because of your incredibly nasty attitude towards people. She feels she is the High Queen and you should bow down to your. One minute she will talk to you and the next she will not. She makes your life hell if you don't bow down to her. Plus she is a liar and not to be trusted. We saw that with the political sign incident. No way should she be full-time. It should turn over with every executive.
Agree with 12:08 a.m. problem solving courts weakest link is the public defender office. That reflects on giving the executive too much power.
Makes sense with that workload. She does more than the overpaid council clerk.
Northampton County also needs a continuously and permanently docketed Criminal Court with assigned judges with individual criminal case assignments . That’s what other Counties have which was not mentioned here. Also no other county allocates one half day a week on a crammed miscellaneous hearing list, that includes civil cases ,to Criminal Pretrial Motions/Hearings. Or has a large cattle call of arraignments only twice monthly.
The relevance of the aforementioned points is that if you create a full-time chief public defender, that individual will be underutilized for the most part, with nothing to do, with the exception of the two, or three days of monthly criminal court with possible, babysitting/managing the staff that has hearings for a half of a day on Wednesday, once a week.
Clearly, this will give this particular chief public defender a lot of paid downtime something I’m sure she wants to have happen. Of course she wants this to be decided before her benefactor Lamont McLure leaves Office. Why don’t you do one of your keen exposes on how much money Nuria handed over in Lamont’s initial County Executive campaign to get the job she has…
Can’t wait to see what 6 figure income she has proposed for this budgeted full time Chief Public Defender job. She also recognizes that she has absolutely no private criminal practice so it’s not a big sacrifice on her part to want to be named the full-time chief public defender.
It would be an appointed position.
The Exec already appoints the chief public defender. Can you tell me how making the position full time gives him more power?
9:09, I personally dislike the impersonal "cattle call" of monthly arraignments and would prefer a criminal court that has assigned judges with their own schedules. I believe this is the way the judges like it, but it is not good for people who want justice. So your point re the way the county handles its criminal load is very valid and frankly should be an issue in future judicial contests.
But your suggestion that the PD has a lot of down time is clearly wrong. They are pulled in different directions during those miscellaneous hearing days,, but still have full days on other days a week that involve attending preliminary hearings, meeting clients, preparing, research, PFAs.
AS to what Nuria's motivation might be, you could simply roll this change into next year's budget and that way the appointment will come from the next exec whop might or might not want her.
She has been a regular campaign contributor to McClure, but was not a major contributor before his initial election.
Stan Margle for Full Time Public Defender!!!!!
I apologize for not being precise enough on one point: Line Northampton County public defenders do work throughout the week- doing preliminary hearings, researching and filing, legal pleadings, such as motions and appeals. The chief public defender, in particular this one, does not do those things and being full-time will most likely not change her practice of not doing those things- except now she will have more time and a larger budgeted salary to not do those things. This was not an attack on the public defender system. It was a comment her request to be the Full-time Chief Public Defender.
Well being someone who works in the jail she is there a hell of a lot more then the other PDs. She does the job. Hell I told her to get a uniform we are so short officers. And she got more balls then 99% if the COs we hire now.
I suspect the recently closed border will substantially lower traffic at the PD's office. I wouldn't act to quickly. Morganelli knew what he was doing.
As I understand the make- up of the office, they already have three full time
Assistant Public defenders. Make the Public Defender full time and eliminate the one full time assistant. Change the eliminated full time assistant to part time. The new Part time can be an ass't to the P.D. and do all the scheduling. Under no circumstances should the head P.D. be anything but exempt. What's missing here is information on how many hours these people actually are on the job. It's tough to make a decision on staffing without some kind of a job study and evaluation.
Nuria is definitely more involved as the Chief than is portrayed in these messages. She puts out fires, takes on difficult clients, assists her PD staff with consulting clients, goes to the jail, stands in when her staff is unavailable in another courtroom, etc. While she may not have a list of PD clients, her role is supportive and much appreciated.
Given the endorsement she apparently received from a CO, she strikes me as a lawyer who does care about her clients. Thise guys would know who shows up to see inmates and who does not.
And how do you know what she does or doesn't do?
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