King County contract fight could lengthen jail stays
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King County public defenders have been working without a new contract since Jan. 1, in an unprecedented dispute centered more on caseload and staffing levels than pay.
Why it matters: Public defenders represent 90% of criminal defendants in King County. Their workloads affect how quickly cases move, the quality of the defense, how long defendants stay behind bars before trial and how much taxpayers spend to keep them there.
Friction point: The county has proposed removing contract language that allows the county's four public defender offices to bargain over caseload limits and staffing ratios, but union members warn that defense quality could suffer as a result.
- Union leaders say defenders are operating close to capacity already.
- Public defenders may have dozens of clients in custody at any given time, and securing release for many of them depends on support staff who can assemble release plans and review evidence, Austin Field, a public defender speaking in his capacity as a member of Service Employees International Union 925, told Axios.
- "If those provisions are removed, we would have little recourse to ensure ethical caseloads and adequate staffing," said Molly Gilbert, president of the public defense chapter of SEIU 925.
Catch up quick: King County hasn't faced this kind of contract dispute over caseload limits and staffing ratios before, per Field.
- Negotiations began in July 2025, and defenders have been working without a contract since it expired in December.
What they're saying: "The only real, effective, reliable way to try to get folks out — especially pretrial — is with the support of mitigation specialists and investigators," Field said. "Otherwise, they sit in jail."
Case in point: Consider a hypothetical example described by Field: A 20-year-old accused of stealing a car — their first felony charge — could needlessly linger in jail before trial without a mitigation specialist able to assemble a release plan for the judge to consider that would connect them to treatment, housing or supervision.
- Pretrial detention can mean losing a job, housing or access to services — even for someone who has not been convicted, Field said.
- If a case moves forward as a felony, the consequences for conviction can extend far beyond the courtroom, including limits on employment, housing, voting rights and firearm ownership, according to Field.
The other side: Caseload and staffing decisions are already governed by state law and policy, not solely by contract language, King County Executive's Office spokesperson Callie Craighead told Axios.
- Under the King County Charter, the Department of Public Defense operates independently from the executive's office and County Council, except in matters related to budget authority, Craighead told Axios.
- "Caseload limits should be pursuant to the Washington State Supreme Court rules, case law, and King County Code, and DPD policy. DPD policy and changes thereto must be bargained with the union to the extent required by law," she said.
What we're watching: New Washington Supreme Court standards are already pushing counties statewide to reduce public defender caseloads — making this contract fight bigger than just King County.