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Texas Lawyer: Dallas Public Defender lacked buffer from political winds

Texas Lawyer published a detailed adumbration of the imbroglio surrounding allegedly politicized firings at the Dallas Public Defender's Office beginning with the chief, Brad Lollar. Those interested should go read the whole thing, but especially interesting to me were suggestions offered toward the end about how other counties might structure PD offices to avoid the same problems with meddling county commissioners:Lollar and Richard Goemann, director of defender legal services for the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, have suggestions for Harris County if it sets up a PD's office.The problems at the Dallas PD's office "are not unique to Texas," Goemann says. "They are common around the country."The best way to avoid such political problems is the creation of an independent board to oversee a PD's office and shield it from the governmental body that controls the PD's office budget, he says...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on July 07, 2008 (boomark / email).