Oregon Court Orders Mass Case Dismissals Over Lawyer Crisis

The Oregon Supreme Court has mandated the dismissal of more than 1,400 pending criminal cases statewide due to a severe and systemic shortage of public defenders, declaring a major constitutional crisis.
The ruling states that if the state fails to provide a lawyer within 60 days for a misdemeanor or 90 days for a felony, the charges must be dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can refile them later.
This decision highlights years of systemic underfunding and failed recruitment that have left thousands of indigent defendants—some waiting over a year—without legal representation, violating their Sixth Amendment rights and causing severe personal harm, including job loss, housing instability, and severed family ties.
While the state’s Public Defense Commission claims progress in reducing the number of unrepresented individuals, prosecutors and victim advocates criticize the ruling as a waste of resources that undermines public safety, underscoring a deep-rooted crisis that pushes Oregon’s criminal justice system to the brink and mirrors public defender shortages seen across the United States.