Public defense fight moves forward

Last Friday, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a ruling that, for once, I can agree with — a decision that clears the way for a long-standing problem to be addressed.

That decision stems from a lawsuit brought by the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), in which Lincoln County, along with Yakima County and Pacific County, are plaintiffs, challenging how public defense is funded in Washington.

The lawsuit was first heard in Thurston County Superior Court, where the judge ruled that counties did not have standing to bring the case. That ruling did not address the funding issu...