Judges call for county indigent lawyer list

DAVENPORT — Two Lincoln County judges are lobbying to create a rotating indigent counsel list.

Superior Court Judge Jeffrey S. Barkdull and District Court Judge Dan B. Johnson addressed the Lincoln County commissioners on the idea Monday, March 6 following a state Supreme Court ruling.

That ruling stated that any county without a public defense agency must have an independent rotation of public defenders in cases where the county’s contracted public defender is compromised or in cases with co-defendants.

The ruling also bars the judges from selecting the defenders themselves, as was the case p...