In re Subpoena Duces Tecum On Custodian of Records

Through the Office of the Public Defender, the taxpayers of this State provide legal representation to criminal defendants who cannot afford a lawyer. The Legislature affords this publicly funded service only to individuals who lack the resources to hire private counsel. See N.J.S.A. 2A:158A-14. To determine whether a defendant qualifies for a public defender, a court staff member collects information about a defendant’s financial status. That information is then collected on the third page of an intake form, known as the Uniform Defendant Intake Report (UDIR). The defendant must certify the…