A Maine Supreme Court justice has denied a petition seeking the release of an incarcerated woman held for more than 80 days without being assigned an attorney.
Angelina Peterson was released soon after the petition was filed, but her attorney argues her case is important for many others whose constitutional rights are being violated.
Rob Ruffner says the current state of Maine's indigent legal system is intolerable.
"I can't imagine what it's like to be in jail without an attorney, not being able to hire one. There's no one to advocate for you, explain why a court date is continued. It's got to be very frightening to not know when the limbo is going to end," Ruffner said.
Associate Justice Wayne Douglas denied Peterson's petition seeking that incarcerated people be released from custody within seven days if the state fails to appoint them an attorney.
But Douglas did not let the state off the hook, writing that his ruling does not diminish the severity of Maine's ongoing crisis in its handling of indigent criminal defendants.
