The executive director of Maine’s Commission on Public Defense Services is stepping down.
According to an email shared with Maine Public, Jim Billings’ last day will be Oct. 10, after which he’ll head into private practice.
Billings has served as executive director of the state’s public defender service since 2023.
The last few years have been tumultuous for the commission, as it faces a growing backlog of indigent clients.
Earlier this year, a Superior Court judge ruled the state was failing to meet its constitutional obligation to provide representation to low income defendants.
The Legislature this year passed a bill providing more than $3 million to the commission to hire five new public defenders as well as several paralegals and support staff.
Lawmakers also increased the budget for the commission in the current two-year spending plan, but not by as much as the commission had requested.
Billings told the Bangor Daily News earlier this summer that the commission could run out of money to pay the private attorneys who agree to represent indigent clients.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
