Falsely charged with a crime, no way to fight it: inside Oregon’s court crisis

An attorney shortage has left thousands trapped in criminal cases without lawyers. One wrongfully accused woman had no choice but to wait Corshelle Jenkins was charged with a crime she didn’t commit – and now, there was a warrant for her arrest. In May 2025, the 36-year-old Portland resident received a letter saying she had been arrested for theft, and after failing to appear in court, police were instructed to take her to jail. The mother of six was stunned. She had never been arrested for stealing. She assumed a visit to court would prove it was a case of mistaken identity. But in court, a judge told her the state had no lawyers available to represent her. She would have to keep returning for appearances until one freed up. That day, roughly 1,280 other defendants in her county were also waiting for attorneys. Some had gone months – or more than a year – without representation. The charges would remain pending, and Jenkins had no way to fight them. Jenkins is one of thousands of Oregonians charged with crimes who have been forced to wait long-term for a public defender, lawyers the state is constitutionally mandated to provide to defendants if they can’t pay for their o