Facing what she termed a "crisis situation," Cole County Presiding Circuit Judge Pat Joyce announced Thursday a plan she hoped would help reduce the current load of felony cases that are ready for trial.
But it may not be the solution to the problem of overworked public defenders and their caseloads.
Joyce's plan calls for senior judges such as Byron Kinder and Sanford (Frank) Conley to be brought in to handle some of the cases currently on the dockets of the county's three circuit judges.
She said the state has said it would be willing to help with finances for additional personnel that would be needed to assist the senior judges with their paperwork.