Wisconsin's 2019-2021 budget won't provide Door and Kewaunee counties with additional assistant district attorneys. Increased compensation for public defenders, however, is expected to help process cases faster. Currently, court appointed attorneys receive $40-an-hour. Door County District Attorney Colleen Nordin says increased compensation will help some defendants finally get their day in court.
Nordin says her office could use a half-time assistant district attorney, which was not included with the recent state budget. She adds she and Assistant DA Nicholas Grode have been able to keep up with current case loads. The increased compensation for court-appointed attorneys will make their jobs even easier.