Grays Harbor County Public Defense holds community forum
Published 1:30 am Friday, May 29, 2026
On Wednesday, the Grays Harbor County Public Defense department held a community forum in the Commissioners meeting room at the County Administration Building in Montesano.
Attorney F. McNamara “Mac” Jardine, who owned and operated her own law practice from 1996 to 2019, heads up the department. Jardine, along with Assistant Public Defender Tracey Munger, spent an hour educating members of the public and County Commissioners Rick Hole and J.R. Streifel about the history of public defense in Washington state and the current state of the county’s department.
Jardine explained that, in the past, defendants were represented by attorneys assigned by judges, and in some cases, conflicts of interest, prejudice and nepotism would arise.
According to Jardine the Washington State Supreme Court case, Davison v. State, “alleging ongoing violations of the right to counsel in Grays Harbor County Juvenile Court” led to the creation of the Grays Harbor Department of Public Defense in 2019. She also discussed the 2023 adoption of General Rule 42.
“The purpose of this rule is to safeguard the independence of public defense services from judicial influence or control,” she said.
Over the years, a set of standards have been created, which include the duty to investigate, the duty to form a confidential relationship with the client, the duty to know the law and client communication.
Today, Jardine says Grays Harbor County is on the hook if the accused is not provided an adequate defense. She also said that defendants have the expectation that their attorneys will “get them off” regardless of the circumstances. Jardine explained that it is the defense attorney’s job to represent everyone equally under the law.
However, as portrayed in numerous TV shows and movies, there is a stigma and negative perception surrounding public defense. Munger explained that it was a 1980 movie starring Henry Fonda, Gideon’s Trumpet, that went a long way in changing that public perception. The movie tells the story of a 1960s case that illustrated the need for and led to the guarantee to right to counsel for criminal defendants.
Another issue at the forefront of the presentation was funding for public defense and how inadequate it can be. Jardine presented financial figures that showed a tremendous disparity between funding for prosecution and funding for defense. However, that gap has closed significantly over the past seven years — in 2019, the public defense budget was 40% of that of prosecution; in 2025 it was 73%. Jardine also detailed state plans to reduce attorney caseloads over the next 10 years, a plan that must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
The forum concluded with an overview of current public defense department personnel and a question and answer session.
