Overburdened Public Defender’s Office Orders Missouri Governor to Defend Poor Client

Overburdened Public Defender’s Office Orders Missouri Governor to Defend Poor Client
Taking advantage of a law that allows him to assign any case to any member of the state bar, Missouri’s chief public defender, Michael Barrett, appointed Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (a fiscally conservative Democrat finishing his second term) as the defense attorney of a poor client this week, citing the governor’s refusal to provide his office with the resources it needs.