In a telephone interview, Chief Public Defender Adam Hardwicke said although they may prefer replacements to come from the CNMI, they may have to seek applicants from other places.
“There are many who qualify from the CNMI but no one seems to be interested in applying for now,” Hardwicke said.
He said the two posts were left vacant by Edward K. Malik on Aug. 7 and Janet Han King who resigned on Oct. 23.
The PDO has only four lawyers – Hardwicke, Doug Hartig, Richard Miller and Matt Holley.
“We absorbed King’s caseloads between the four of us. We have our hands full and we need to have the vacancies filled up,” Hardwicke said.
But he added that they can still handle all the cases at the moment.
Before King’s resignation, Hardwicke said each of the five PDO lawyers handled 50 to 70 cases each, involving traffic, domestic violence, disturbing the peace, theft, juvenile and other cases on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
Hardwicke said he is sorry to let King go but she is always welcome to return to the PDO whenever she feels like it.
“King is an incredible and exemplary lawyer who knows what it means to be a public defender,” Hardwicke said.
King resigned to take care of her 66-year-old mother living on Tinian. She started working at the PDO on Dec. 3, 2007.
