Task Force On Bail Hearings Postponed By Weather

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The meeting of a task force grappling with a court ruling that requires attorneys for criminal defendants at initial bail hearings was postponed because of bad weather.

The task force was scheduled to meet in Annapolis on Tuesday afternoon. But it was postponed when snowy weather passed through the area.

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruling could cost the state millions of dollars, including money to hire additional public defenders.

The state's highest court ruled in September that defendants are entitled to state-furnished counsel at initial hearings before a district court commissioner, because the defendant's liberty is at stake.

A new date for the meeting has not been set.

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