State of the Sixth

People want to know how the right to counsel is implemented in their state, county, or territory. Some want to know how this all works someplace else. We give you all the tools you need in this interactive map to explore. Once you have the basics down, dig deeper by expanding on our state-specific questions.

The Right to Counsel State-by-State The Right to Counsel in the Territories and D.C.

  • Funding

    What level of government pays for public defense?

  • Administration

    Who decides delivery method, attorneys, compensation, and other resources?

  • Oversight

    To what extent does state government set & enforce standards?

  • State

  • Primarily State

  • Shared State and Local

  • Primarily Local

  • Local

  • State

  • Primarily State

  • Shared State and Local

  • Primarily Local

  • Local

  • Commission With Statewide Authority

  • No Commission, But Statewide Authority

  • Commission With Limited Authority

  • No Commission and Limited Authority

  • No State Oversight

  • Adult Criminal Trials

  • Adult Criminal Appeals

  • US Territories, Freely Associated States & DC

  • Juvenile Deliquency **Available Soon**

Alabama

Alaska

American Samoa

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Guam

Hawaiʻi

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Northern Mariana Islands

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

US Virgin Islands

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Ensuring the right to Counsel is a state obligation under the fourteenth amendment, but...More than two thirds of states require local governments to fund trial-level right to counsel services.

Ensuring the right to Counsel is a state obligation under the fourteenth amendment, but...Almost half of states require local governments to fund appellate-level right to counsel services.

Ensuring the right to Counsel is a state obligation under the fourteenth amendment, but...Only 15 states administer trial-level right to counsel services entirely at the state level.

Ensuring the right to Counsel is a state obligation under the fourteenth amendment, but...Only 28 states administer appellate right to counsel services entirely at the state level.

Ensuring the right to Counsel is a state obligation under the fourteenth amendment, but...3 states have no state oversight of trial-level services.

Ensuring the right to Counsel is a state obligation under the fourteenth amendment, but...2 states have no state oversight of appellate services.

Pacific

Atlantic

Dig Deeper

Questions Open/Close

What is the preferred model for funding indigent defense services?

Do alternatives to state or local government funding work?

Is a public defender office the best delivery model?

Is there a best practice model for compensating private appointed counsel?

Are there best practices for creating a state oversight commission?

Does the U.S. federal government fund indigent defense services in U.S. territories?

Is there a single indigent defense delivery model used in all U.S. territories?

Is there a single manner in which the constitutional right to counsel is applicable in all U.S. territories?

How does the constitutional right to counsel apply to unincorporated U.S. territories, if at all?