New Johnston County public defender expected to help carry heavy caseload
The Sixth Amendment gives Americans the right to an attorney, whether they can afford it or not.
However, an attorney shortage has made that a challenge in North Carolina – particularly in more rural counties.
Johnston County is one of those counties struggling to keep up, but relief is coming in the form of a new public defender.
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Tom Lock appointed A. Traynham Dorn as the first public defender in Johnston County.
Dorn provided a written statement about her appointment, saying she was humbled.
"The weight of that responsibility does not go unnoticed and I will rise to the challenge," Dorn wrote. "I have spent the last 20 years in private practice in Johnston County getting to know the members of this community.
"It is my honor to be able to represent them as the Chief Public Defender. I look forward to building a team of attorneys and support staff whose goal is to provide zealous legal representation to the indigent community of Johnston County."
Dorn is due to start her new role on July 1.
"Johnston County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and with that comes the need for a more centralized office that can provide legal representation to the indigent community," Dorn wrote. "Johnston County already has many knowledgeable and experienced attorneys.
"It is my goal that the new Johnston County Public Defender’s Office will be an additional resource to the people who need our legal representation."
The 13th Judicial District, which covers Johnston County has been trying to keep up with fewer resources than its more metropolitan counterparts. Almost half of all active North Carolina lawyers are in just two counties – Wake and Mecklenburg, according to the Office of Indigent Defense Services.
Lock noted the rapid growth of the county and how it is affecting the court system’s ability to keep up.
“We are huge county with a huge number of cases," Lock said. "We've got about 230,000 people now, so we have the problems of larger district.
"I think we have the need for a public defender just as the larger districts do.”
The historic new role will help distribute the heavy caseload, currently being served by private lawyers for court-appointed cases.
Based on records obtained by WRAL News, Johnston County has a rotation of 12 private lawyers. Dorn is currently on that list. Once she is officially in her new role in July, she will continue to work with those attorneys.
“We should have an adequate number of lawyers now to handle the huge volume,” Lock said.
Dorn has more than 20 years in private practice, where she represented criminal defendants in district and superior court. In addition, her experience includes a community-focused approach through working with indigent clients and serving as a Guardian ad Litem.
In the state budget, the 13th Judicial District is one of eight to get a new public defender in fiscal year 2023-2024. Dorn’s office also has funding for seven assistant public defenders and four support staff members.
The others include:
- District 5 - Duplin, Jones and Sampson counties
- District 7 - Bertie, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton counties
- District 13 - Johnston County
- District 15 - Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus counties
- District 17 - Alamance County
- District 30 - Union County
- District 32 - Alexander and Iredell counties
- District 43 - Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties
District 6, which covers New Hanover and Pender counties, also received funding for more positions within its public defender’s office.
