tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post6534937039087294187..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Proposed Harris County study will likely predict substantial savings from a public defender officeGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-89665609145140412702009-03-05T15:36:00.000-06:002009-03-05T15:36:00.000-06:00I am pro Public Defenders! I know that an appoint...I am pro Public Defenders! I know that an appointed attorney is provided for those who cannot obtain one on their own here in Harris County, but sometimes those attorneys are just there to say that an attorney was provided! They are required to do so much pro-bono work and that is what they do in the capacity of an attorney for those who can't afford one. I also agree that they sometimes send their clients down a swift road of no return, by not providing them with the best defense they could. Instead they just want the record to show that an attorney was provided. Maybe that is why Harris County jails are so full...poor representation by attorneys that are just fulfilling their pro-bono requirements!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-25351406721810560142008-06-13T20:25:00.000-05:002008-06-13T20:25:00.000-05:00If I were Steve Raddick and Judge Ed Emmett I woul...If I were Steve Raddick and Judge Ed Emmett I would be ashamed of what I actually admitted I did not know.<BR/><BR/>I do not have a law degree but I do know what the functions of a Public Defender are and they by the Constitution are supposed to be furnished by everyone accused of a crime and asks for an attorney. There are some PD's who are better than paid for lawyers and actually put more caring into each case. They know they are going to get paid, but a lawyer in private practice may not get paid after the initial trial is over.<BR/><BR/>How very shameful for a Judge to admit he does know about the public defenders system and to compare that with "Law and Order" a fictious TV show, is one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard a Judge admit to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-8496471308222708742008-06-02T16:06:00.000-05:002008-06-02T16:06:00.000-05:00If anyone should have a handle on Public Defender'...If anyone should have a handle on Public Defender's offices it should be Commissioner Steve Radack, since his wife, who is the Chief Justice for the first Court of Appeals, is also a board member on the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-61373070159831880732008-04-07T11:28:00.000-05:002008-04-07T11:28:00.000-05:00Anon, sorry to be unclear. In Texas counties, the ...Anon, sorry to be unclear. In Texas counties, the "County Judge" is the equivalent the mayor of the county, with the "Commissioners Court" the equivalent of the city council in a municipal setting.<BR/><BR/>A judge on the bench would be either a "district judge" for felonies or a "county court at law judge" for misdemeanors. This is an executive branch post.<BR/><BR/>I'm still a bit surprised, though, because criminal justice accounts for so much of the county budget, you'd think he'd have looked into cost-reduction options before now.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-77818416269964737182008-04-07T10:48:00.000-05:002008-04-07T10:48:00.000-05:00For Judge Ed Emmett to state, "The only thing I kn...For Judge Ed Emmett to state, "The only thing I know about the public defenders system is what I see on Law and Order," Harris County Judge Ed Emmett told the Houston Chronicle last week" is disgusting. If he does not know what a Public Defender is, he should resign and let someone who does know take over his bench. What a disgrace and Harris County is known as the most unfair judicial system in the State of Texas. I would be ashamed if I were Judge Emmett to make a statement such as he made to the Chronical.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, this is more common in the judicial system than people realize and some serious questions need to be asked a candidate who is running for especially a judgeship before electing him to hold a position that impacts someone's life, i.e., a fair trial, or the Harris County way. Whatever the Judge and the DA decide is going to happen and usually the defense lawyer is included in this conversation is what happens without even taking into consideration the fairness to the client. Harris County needs to take a vacuum and clean out their judical sytem and start over. With Mr. Rosenthal gone and the pressure on Sheriff Thomas, maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Harris County. For this we pray. Amen!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com