Madison – Representative Shae Sortwell (R-Gibson) released the following statement today
regarding the recent lawsuit filed by a group of inmates in Brown County against Governor
Evers and members of the Wisconsin Public Defender Board:

“Just a year ago, my colleagues and I sent a non-partisan letter to the governor’s office
requesting him to send ARPA funds to Brown County and aid the public defender crisis. The
effects of COVID-19 on the Wisconsin Court System was exacerbating an ongoing backlog of cases among the public defenders in the county. The State Public Defender Office requested similar assistance weeks prior and asked for our support.”

“Once again, however, the incompetence of the Backlog Bureaucrat in Chief comes to fruition as he fails to address another major issue in this state, similar to the delays within the Departments of Workforce Development (DWD) and Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). Add justice to the list of unemployment aid and healthcare licenses he has neglected. As our absentee governor violates the Constitution, our court system continues to be bogged down so justice cannot be achieved. We warned him, and he fails, yet again.”

Representative Sortwell is available for comment.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email