Was a Former Colorado Public Defender Fired for Raising Concerns over his Workload? w/Travis Weiner

Today, Hunter spoke with Travis Weiner the former Colorado Public Defender suing the State Public Defender for wrongful termination. As a Colorado Public Defender, Travis reached a point where he estimated he would need more than 4,000 hours to complete the cases assigned to him. At that point, Travis believed he had an ethical obligation to withdraw from a newly assigned case. Unfortunately, the Colorado State Public Defender did not support him. Instead, they fired him. Now he is suing the state for alleged retaliation.

 

Guest

Travis Weiner, Former Colorado State Public Defender and Current Public Defender, Taos, New Mexico

 

Resources:

 

 Articles about Travis’s Law Suit

https://www.denverpost.com/2024/11/26/colorado-public-defender-retaliation-caseload-lawsuit-travis-weiner/

https://denvergazette.com/news/courts/colorado-public-defender-whistleblower-lawsuit/article_5dc51520-a908-11ef-8c41-9795a3756d99.html

https://www.cpr.org/2024/11/26/former-colorado-public-defender-files-whistleblower-suit-high-caseload/

Read Travis’s Motion, Compliant and My Complaint and Affidavit Here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oz0-_Yi6EMqoh7s6f2a7xdrW-_28L1dv?usp=sharing

 

I have reached out for comment from OSPD in regards to Travis and my complaints. At this time, OSPD did not respond for comment. Last year, they sent me the following comment on Travis's complaint 

 

"On behalf of OSPD, thank you for the invitation and concern regarding public defense in Colorado. Rules governing confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, and employee privacy prevent us from discussing individual cases, particular motions, or a defender’s practice. We are committed to ensuring that our clients receive high quality representation and will continue to support the defenders who do that work."

 

 

 

Contact Hunter Parnell:                                

Publicdefenseless@gmail.com 

Instagram

@PublicDefenselessPodcast

Twitter                                                                

@PDefenselessPod

www.publicdefenseless.com 

Subscribe to the Patron

www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast

 Donate on PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ

Donate on Stripe

https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN

Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show!

https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home

 

Previous
Previous

How Sec Def Austin Interfered with the 9/11 and U.S.S. Cole Case Plea Deals w/Allison Miller and Katie Carmon

Next
Next

How The American Eugenics Movement Helped Create Habitual Offender Laws w/Daniel Loehr