The Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC) is a state agency charged with providing constitutionally required defense services to indigent defendants in Georgia’s courts. It operates statewide through circuit public defender offices and regional units that handle conflict cases, death-penalty matters, appeals, and youth defense. ¹

History

Created by the Georgia General Assembly to centralize and standardize right-to-counsel services, the Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC) sits in George’s executive branch and is overseen by a nine-member governing council appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and state House Speaker. Day-to-day operations are run by an executive director, who is appointed by the governor and serves at his discretion. ² Gov. Brian Kemp (R) appointed Omotayo (Tayo) B. Alli executive director in 2020, ³ and the agency emphasizes independence from prosecutors and police in carrying out its mandate. ^{1 4}

Activities

The Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC) provides trial-level representation for indigent adults and juveniles, staffs regional offices for conflict representation in 44 of 50 judicial circuits, and supports local circuit defenders with training, payroll, and administrative services. Specialty units handle complex gang/RICO matters and client support services such as social-work referrals and reentry programs. ^{1 4}

Funding and Criticism

The Georgia Public Defender Council is funded primarily through state appropriations, supplemented by county contracts and time-limited federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars used to sustain operations after the COVID-19 pandemic. A January 2025 special examination by the State Auditor reported that the GPDC managed about $145 million in Fiscal Year 2024 and cautioned that reliance on temporary federal funds presented a risk once those funds expired; county-derived “other funds” represented less than four percent of operating costs. ¹

In 2022, the GPDC responded to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution claiming that the agency was fueling a “crisis” that contributed to case backlogs and jail overcrowding. The article noted that the Fulton County public defender had been fired by the state after voicing frustrations over a lack of resources available from the GPDC. The GPDC issued a statement in response to the report that there “was no constitutional crisis” and noted that “The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article relies on accounts of former employees and misleading phrasing to create the impression that the agency leadership prioritized cost-cutting over ensuring indigent Georgians receive a defense in court. This is demonstrably false.” ⁵

In September 2022, the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) publicly warned the GPDC that hundreds of accused people lacked conflict counsel. In June 2023, SCHR sued the GPDC, alleging noncompliance with Georgia’s Open Records Act concerning records on that issue. The filings alleged prolonged detentions without appointed lawyers and sought disclosure and remedial action. ^{6 7 8}

At a January 2023 appropriations hearing, executive director Tayo Alli said the agency still could not find enough qualified attorneys despite pay increases, reflecting a statewide lawyer shortage, especially acute outside metro areas. ⁹

The 2025 State Auditor’s report found the Georgia Public Defender Council’s monthly expenditures often exceeded monthly revenues in FY2024, with the agency using advanced allotments and additional ARPA funds to avoid an end-of-year deficit. Auditors also flagged frequent “rerating” transfers between programs without sufficient documentation and noted that the GPDC had not finalized a required attorney salary plan, though most salaries reviewed complied with statute. ¹

Leadership

Omotayo B. Alli (often known as Tayo Alli) has served as the executive director of the Georgia Public Defender Council since March 2, 2020, when Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) appointed her to lead the statewide indigent-defense office. Alli holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Kent State University, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Jacksonville State University, and a law degree from Georgia State University. In February 2024, Alli was awarded the John Robert Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award by the Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council. ^{10 11}

1. “Georgia Public Defender Council: Requested information on financial and operational controls.” Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. Report Number 24-12. January 2025. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://open.ga.gov/openga/report/downloadFile?rid=32224
2. “Georgia Code Title 17, Chapter 12, Article 1 (2020) – Georgia Public Defender Council :: 2020 Georgia Code :: U.S. Codes and Statutes :: U.S. Law :: Justia.” Justitia.com. Accessed October 21, 2025. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2020/title-17/chapter-12/article-1/.
3. “Tayo Alli, Executive Director of the Public Defender Council, Visits Blakely.” Early County News, October 25, 2023. https://www.earlycountynews.com/articles/tayo-alli-executive-director-of-the-public-defender-council-visits-blakely/.
4. About GPDC. Georgia Public Defender Council. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://gapubdef.org/about-gpd/
5. The Current State of Georgia’s Public Defender System. Georgia Public Defender Council. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://gapubdef.org/the-current-state-of-georgias-public-defender-system/
6. “SCHR Sends Letter to GA Public Defender Council Concerning Failure to Provide Counsel to Hundreds of Georgians Accused of Crimes.” Southern Center for Human Rights, June 2023. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://www.schr.org/schr-sends-letter-to-ga-public-defender-council-concerning-failure-to-provide-counsel-to-hundreds-of-georgians-accused-of-crimes/
7. “Southern Center for Human Rights Files Lawsuit amid the Georgia Public Defender Council’s Refusal to Comply with Open Records Act.” Southern Center for Human Rights, June 2023. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://www.schr.org/southern-center-for-human-rights-files-lawsuit-amid-the-georgia-public-defender-councils-refusal-to-comply-with-open-records-act/
8. Complaint: SCHR v. Alli. Southern Center for Human Rights, June 2023. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://www.schr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SCHR-v.-Alli-Complaint.pdf
9. “Georgia Public Defender Council Director Admits She Cannot Find Enough Attorneys.” Atlanta News First, January 25, 2023. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/01/25/georgia-public-defenders-council-director-admits-she-cannot-find-enough-attorneys/
10. GPDC Director Omotayo Alli Receives Rep. John Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award. Georgia Public Defender Council. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://gapubdef.org/gpdc-director-omotayo-alli-receives-rep-john-lewis-lifetime-achievement-award/
11. Our Team. Georgia Public Defender Council. Accessed October 8, 2025. https://gapubdef.org/our-team/