Indigent defense gets a new look from Attorney General Eric Holder

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said if more Americans knew how poorly the public defender system worked in many cases, "they would be shocked and angered." Legal representation of the poor in Minnesota, according to the legislative auditor, is hampered by caseloads that are too high. Two public defenders talk about what they see as a long overdue look at the system from the feds.

Guests

• William Ward: Chief public defender of the 4th Judicial District which includes Hennepin county.
• Norman Lefstein: Professor at Indiana University School of Law. He's a former public defender and has studied and written about the issue for many years. He's the author with Robert Spangenberg of the 2009 report Justice Denied.

More from MPR

• News Cut: A day in the life of a Minnesota public defender

Resources

• Minnesota Legislative Auditor: February 2010 report on indigent defense
• Public Defender - 4th Judicial District
• Justice Denied