ambivalent comment

Oh, you mean public defenders *are* lawyers? Gee, you learn something every day! ;-)

I was lucky last summer when I worked in a PD office b/c in that jurisdiction the word on the street is that if you get in trouble, try to get a PD. The people in the community know that the public defenders provide the best defense available, and if you spend any time in court, you quickly see why -- the private defense attorneys are largely incompetent. Some of them seem pretty clueless about court procedure and they always seem rushed and confused rather than calm and confident in court like the PDs. It's an awesome thing to see, actually. You should send Senator Newton to visit our courthouse for a few days and see if he changes his tune.

Curious: With what party is Sen. Newton affiliated?

p.s.: Congrats on the new site -- it looks great!