SALEM — Chief Justice Martha Walters has appointed four new members and reappointed five others to the state commission that oversees legal representation for indigent criminal defendants.

She moved to remove all nine members of the Public Defense Services Commission after the panel failed to fire Stephen Singer after eight months as executive director of the Office of Public Defense Services. Singer’s defenders said he has put new energy into that troubled system, but his critics say he is abrasive with some officials.

The new commission scheduled a closed-door meeting Wednesday to review Singer’s performance, and another meeting on Thursday, Aug. 18. to continue that review — and possibly act to remove Singer.

Under a 1963 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, criminal defendants are entitled to legal representation in state and federal courts as a constitutional guarantee under the Sixth Amendment. But some criminal defendants, particularly in Multnomah and Washington counties, have lacked such representation.

The Legislature did release $100 million withheld from the agency budget, approving what amounts to a $13 million patch to the system. But legislative leaders and Gov. Kate Brown say more work needs to be done.

The agency is part of the judicial branch, but its budget is not under the control of the chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, who leads the state trial and appellate courts.

Walters released this letter after she announced the new commission on Aug. 16:

“The issues before the commission are complex and demand a level of expertise, lived experience, commitment to public defense, and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across the different branches of government and, as importantly, with the people directly involved in delivering public defense services to the people of Oregon.

“Many people have important roles in the delivery of those services, including not only the lawyers who represent eligible clients, but also the dedicated staff at OPDS whose work is necessary to ensure that the system functions, and the judges who must respond when individuals seek the legal counsel to which they are constitutionally entitled. All deserve our recognition, respect and gratitude.

“I am appointing each of you because of what you bring to this mission and vision. I also am appointing you because I believe that, collectively, this body can build on the decisions and commitments already made and move forward to achieve the necessary changes with an inclusive and respectful approach that unites us in our common goal.

“This change in leadership occurred quickly, and our work will commence as quickly. These issues are too important to delay.”

Within a couple of hours of their removal on Aug. 16, Walters named four new members. They are in alphabetical order:

• Peter Buckley, former state representative from Ashland (2005-17) and former House co-chairman of the Legislature’s joint budget panel (2009-17). He is a project manager at Southern Oregon Success, a nonprofit consortium serving children, youths and families in Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties. It is overseen by the Southern Oregon Education Service District.

• Jennifer Nash, a lawyer in Corvallis who specializes in criminal and family law, but does not provide public defense. She has been on a governor’s task force on the issue, administered the public defense services contract in Benton County, and sat on the pay parity committee of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

• Jennifer Parrish Taylor, director of advocacy and public policy for the Urban League of Portland. She also is a public member of the state Board on Public Safety Standards and Training.

• Kristen Winemiller, a lawyer in Portland who led the Oregon State Bar task force on indigent defense in 2000 and is a life member of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

The reappointed members are:

• Per Ramfjord, chair, a trial lawyer at the Portland firm of Stoel Rives, Oregon’s largest private firm.

• Paul Solomon, vice chair, and the executive director of Sponsors Inc., a prisoner re-entry program based in Eugene.

• Alton Harvey Jr., an addiction services mentor for Volunteers of America, based in Portland, and one of four commission members who opposed the firing of Singer.

• Lisa Ludwig, a lawyer with the Portland firm of Ludwig Runstein.

• Max Williams, outgoing president of the Oregon Community Foundation, a lawyer, and former state representative (1999-2004) and former director of the Oregon Department of Corrections (2004-11).

All commission terms are four years. The chair and vice chair will serve for two years.