New Mexico Chief Public Defender Bennett Baur told a panel of state lawmakers Monday that his understaffed office could hit a point at which public defenders cannot take on new criminal cases.

Across the state, the Law Offices of the Public Defender has 190 staff attorneys and a vacancy rate of more than 21%. Speaking before the interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee in downtown Albuquerque, Baur referred back to a landmark 2022 report which found that the state needed more than 600 additional public defenders to ensure his office meets its minimum constitutional requirements.