Syracuse, N.Y. — A new top public defender has been named for the federal court that covers much of Upstate New York, including Syracuse.

Eric Schillinger will take over Dec. 1 as the federal public defender for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, which includes 32 counties in Upstate New York.

He was appointed to a four-year term by the appeals court that covers the Northern District, the Second Circuit, which is based in Manhattan.

Schillinger will succeed Lisa Peebles, who is retiring after a decades-long career. She joined the public defender’s office in 1999 and has led it since 2010.

The public defender’s office provides a lawyer to people who cannot afford one. The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires anyone charged with a crime to have a

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