Re: “Maine legislative agenda could chip away at lawsuit’s gripes against indigent defense system” (June 26):

Reporter Emily Allen’s excellent coverage of the June 23 hearing before Justice Michaela Murphy omitted a critical point: Unless the necessary funding is allocated by the state to the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, we can expect that the settlement will not be approved as “fair, reasonable and adequate,” as required by controlling law. This then perpetuates a continuing constitutional crisis that is further compounded by a waste of money devoted to an unresolved lawsuit.

How unfortunate that this decades-old crisis is destined to continue if funding is not made available such that Maine’s justice system finally meets the requirements of the Sixth Amendment.

Robert Cummins
Portland