Audit: Minnesota public defenders shoulder high caseloads even by 30-year-old standards

By: Max Nesterak

Outlets: Minnesota Reformer

Published: October 7, 2026

Words: 670

Last Updated: 1 week, 4 days ago

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Minnesota public defenders are struggling under heavy caseloads to fulfill their constitutional obligation to represent every person accused of a crime who can’t afford a lawyer, according to a report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor released on Tuesday.

The state’s roughly 600 public defenders represented people in more than 135,000 cases in 2025, ranging from disorderly conduct to murder. That’s 225 cases per lawyer, though caseloads vary based on the seriousness and complexity …

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