| Lawyers in This State Are Allowed to Ghost Clients for Years. Why Don't More Judges Stop Them? When a person challenging their conviction can't afford a lawyer, a judge will appoint one. Last year, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Frank Palumbo advised a newly appointed lawyer that his case looked 'like it's going to be a ' dismissal.' Illustration by Mark Harris for ProPublica. Source images: The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania; David Swanson/The Philadelphia Inquirer. One morning in July 2025, I was the lone spectator in Judge Frank Palumbo's courtroom in Philadelphia, watching prosecutors and public defenders haggle over the fates of defendants. |
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At www.propublica.org from ProPublica
At www.propublica.org from ProPublica
