The Georgia Supreme Court has barred public defenders in the same regional circuit from representing more than one defendant in a particular case, saying constitutional rights to conflict-free representation are more important than their costs to the government.
The justices’ unanimous decision Monday affirmed a rule proposed in 2010 by the State Bar of Georgia’s ethics board. In January 2012, the court heard arguments between lawyers for the state bar and the cash-strapped Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, which opposed the rule.
