Public Defenders Slam Ted Cruz for Saying 'Their Heart Is With the Murderers'
“Shame on [Cruz] for using provocative language to persuade people in our country who don’t understand the role of public defenders,” said Lori James-Townes, executive director for the National Association for Public Defense., everyone deserves to have representation with an attorney, so it’s “unbelievable” that Cruz would make such a comment, she continued. Public defenders serve an important role in the criminal defense system because while some are born with privilege, others aren’t as lucky.
These attorneys are tasked with understanding the humanity of their clients, but their chosen profession doesn't speak to the content of their character, James-Townes said. Empathizing with marginalized populations doesn’t mean that they don’t respect the law, she argued. Rather, it means the exact opposite.
Sometimes, public defenders represent parents who face losing their children, or even juveniles at risk of getting caught up in the system themselves, James-Townes said. “Not all of our clients are faced with charges such as homicide or murder," she added,"and they’re also deemed innocent until proven guilty.”, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way.
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