Crime & Law
Bill Creating a State Public Defender’s Office Is Headed to Pritzker’s Desk
The Illinois House is pictured in the waning hours of the spring legislative session on Saturday, May 31, 2025. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)
By Ben Szalinski and Jade Aubrey, Capitol News Illinois
Gov. JB Pritzker will have hundreds of bills to review after state lawmakers concluded their spring session, including a measure that creates a state public defender’s office.
Lawmakers voted along party lines Saturday to pass House Bill 3363, which would create the “Office of State Public Defender” that would primarily be responsible for providing public defender offices around the state with more resources.
It also reforms how public defenders would be appointed by requiring a local nominating committee to appoint or remove public defenders, which is designed to give the public defenders more independence from the judiciary.
Read More: New Bill Aims to Create Statewide Public Defender Office in Illinois
“Every Illinoisan deserves a strong defense, no matter their income,” bill sponsor Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, said in a statement. “Instating this new system would ensure real help reaches people who have been left behind in conversations about criminal justice reform for far too long.”
Public defender offices throughout the state have been starved for resources, with some defense attorneys at public defender offices handling hundreds of cases at a time. Supporters of the legislation say the main goal of the office, at least initially, will be to provide more comprehensive state resources to public defender offices, which now are typically subject to the limitations of county budgets.
Limited data shows all Illinois counties need more public defenders. According to an analysis of county public defender budgets compiled by Northwestern University, no Illinois counties have “sufficient” staffing in public defender offices.
State lawmakers appropriated $10 million for county public defense services in the FY26 budget and have appropriated as much each year since 2023. If signed by the governor, Peters’ legislation won’t fully take effect until 2027.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
