The First Judicial District Public Defender's management office is located in Hastings, Minnesota. With one State Public Defender, attorneys and other support staff, their purpose is to provide quality criminal defense services to indigent defendants in Minnesota through an independent, reliable and efficient public defender system. In addition, their Assistant Public Defenders represent the indigent accused in adult, juvenile and appellate matters. Their mission is to advocate for clients, support practitioners and protects the public by continually improving the services guaranteed by the constitutional right to counsel. The District Court-level public defenders of this office provide constitutionally mandated services in Felony, Gross Misdemeanors, Probation Violations, Extraditions, Misdemeanor, and Juvenile Delinquency cases. Public defenders also provide statutorily mandated services for children 10 years of age and older in child protection cases. In addition, at the Appellate Court level, public defenders provide mandated services in Criminal appeals, Post-conviction proceedings in the District Courts, and Parole revocation proceedings. If the court has assigned a public defender to your case in Hastings, Minnesota, please contact the First Judicial District Public Defender's management office, which serves the Dakota and supports Goodhue, Carver, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley counties.