Missouri Public Defender Director appoints Governor to serve

[Montrovant]

Just read this and found it funny, and apt if the Public Defender Director is accurate about his department's funding being repeatedly cut under the governor.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon assigned as a public defender - CNN.com

There is a link to the letter in the article, or just click this :
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2016/images/08/04/missouripublicdefenderletter.pdf

I doubt the governor would ever actually serve as a PD, but it would be pretty funny if he were forced to. I've heard some pretty alarming things about the state of public defender's offices around the country; lack of funding, overworked staff and lawyers, cases given quick once-overs rather than actually studied by the attorneys due to time constraints, etc.. If this governor really has been cutting funds (his press secretary said the state public defender has had a 15% increase in funding) making him act as a PD himself would be appropriate.

 

[Dekster]

Oh that is wonderful.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Yeah, I saw that too. It's fucking hilarious.

 

[Dekster]

"...And in related news, Governor pardons his own client to keep from having to represent him in court."

 

[Moonglow]

Just read this and found it funny, and apt if the Public Defender Director is accurate about his department's funding being repeatedly cut under the governor.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon assigned as a public defender - CNN.com

There is a link to the letter in the article, or just click this :
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2016/images/08/04/missouripublicdefenderletter.pdf

I doubt the governor would ever actually serve as a PD, but it would be pretty funny if he were forced to. I've heard some pretty alarming things about the state of public defender's offices around the country; lack of funding, overworked staff and lawyers, cases given quick once-overs rather than actually studied by the attorneys due to time constraints, etc.. If this governor really has been cutting funds (his press secretary said the state public defender has had a 15% increase in funding) making him act as a PD himself would be appropriate.

Like you need a frickin' lawyer to plea bargain, it's a racket, and not for tennis, or badminton...

 

[theDoctorisIn]

If I were the defendant he was assigned to, I'd refuse to take a plea, and force him to take it to court.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Wait, so lawyers can be forced to be public defenders like the average citizen can be pooled to be a juror?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Wait, so lawyers can be forced to be public defenders like the average citizen can be pooled to be a juror?

Apparently they can, in Missouri.

I don't think that's true everywhere.

 

[Montrovant]

Wait, so lawyers can be forced to be public defenders like the average citizen can be pooled to be a juror?

I doubt the governor will ever actually have to serve as a public defender, but according to the director, they can in Missouri.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

I believe in many states, members of the Bar are required to do a certain amount of pro bono work, which would include acting as PD.

But I've never heard of a rule like this before.

 

[Dekster]

Wait, so lawyers can be forced to be public defenders like the average citizen can be pooled to be a juror?

In some places. In my state not exactly but sort of. Court-appointed counsel outside of the PD's office must be qualified either by taking additional classes on criminal cases or by having represented a certain number of people in criminal courts in the last year or two. The caveat is that a Judge can bypass all that and just order a lawyer to represent someone if he thinks the person is competent to do it. The only times I have heard of that last thing happening was as co-counsel in death penalty cases. The problem is that the PD can only represent one defendant in a case to avoid conflicts of interest, so if you have a crime with 10 defendants, the court has to find 9 outside lawyers. They have a list of qualified people who sign up to do it, but the death penalty cases have different prerequisites than most cases and very few people have that experience. The judge still doesn't do it blindly, It is "Hey, Steve, you defended someone in a death penalty case. How about I make you co-counsel with this other kid to keep them on track, but they have to do all the work. You just get a big check to learn them up." In my state, indigent defense gets an unlimited budget for death penalty cases as long as a Judge finds it reasonable for the case.