A death row inmate is arguing that his right to a speedy trial was violated
(AP) -- Georgia's cash-strapped public defender system is at the heart of a case before the state's top court.
On Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court will hear the appeal of a death row inmate charged with killing an elderly neighbor. He's arguing that his right to a speedy trial was violated by a lack of funding for Georgia's ailing public defender system. Jamie Weis had been without an attorney for more than eight months after the two private attorneys assigned to represent him were removed because the state-funded system couldn't pay them.
His attorneys say the three and a half year delay since he was charged with the killing of 73-year-old Catherine King is "unconscionable and unconstitutional."
Even the state acknowledges it's been a long lapse.
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