Supreme Court Refuses Appeal of Georgia Capital Case

The United States Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of a man sentenced to death in Georgia.  The man claims that he went without a lawyer for 2 years because the State of Georgia could not afford to pay for a Public Defender.  The case deals with the ongoing budget problems of Georgia's Public Defender system.  The Cook County Public Defender's Office has also been under budget constraints.  Jamie Ryan Weiss had been convicted of murdering a 73 year old woman.  He claims that a "complete breakdown" of the system left him without a lawyer.  Prosecutors agree that there were funding problems but argue that the breakdown only resulted in a funding problem and not a lack of legal representation.

The case is Weiss v. Georgia, 09-10715.

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