Philadelphia’s First Judicial District has started taking steps to alleviate its growing backlog of post-conviction appeal cases that was uncovered earlier this year, but the court’s methods have angered some attorneys and left many wondering if indigent defendants will receive adequate representation.
Philadelphia judges recently sent a letter to court-appointed attorneys telling them to start handling Post-Conviction Relief Act cases. However, according to attorneys, many who received the letter do not have experience handling PCRA cases, which can be very complex, and attorneys have found it difficult to be taken off the cases.
