How Can Texas Solve its Shortage of Rural Public Defender Crisis? w/Scott Ehlers

Aug 18

Today, Hunter was joined once again the Texas Indigent Defense Commission Executive Director, Scott Ehlers. This time, Scott and Hunter explore a slow moving crisis in Texas Public Defense: an absolute lack of attorneys in rural parts of the state. As with so many states with large rural areas, attorneys are retiring faster than they can be replaced. Scott and his team at TIDC tried to get more funding from the legislature, but as it stands now, the legislature does not seem to be taking this issue as seriously as they should. So what will happen to public defense in rural Texas?

Guest:

Scott Ehlers, Executive Director, Texas Indigent Defense Commission

Resources:

TIDC Website:

https://www.tidc.texas.gov/about-us/who-we-are/staff/ehlers-scott/

Contact Scott

SEhlers@tidc.texas.gov

Read more about Problems in Rural Public Defense

https://ppri.tamu.edu/portfolio-items/justice-beyond-the-cities/

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/27/texas-rural-public-defense-indigent/

Contact Hunter Parnell:

Publicdefenseless@gmail.com