It happens! People change jobs, have new experiences and change their minds about things. I was very happy to see this from Senator Harris recently:
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She might be more vocal about criminal defense, but I can’t imagine a California Democrat who doesn’t believe that everyone deserves a vigorous defense, and that those attorneys should be compensated properly.
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Experience in the criminal justice system SHOULD be an asset in how one crafts reform. As long as one is open minded and can see nuance (as I believe Sen. Harris to be).
She can have a different/more robust voice as a Senator and Presidential candidate than she could have in a “specified role” capacity like prosecutor/AG.
Criminals are not entitled to an expensive legal defense, they are entitled to a basic defense provided to them by the public.
Kamala Harris is just following her base. Since she is a Democrat, it’s fitting.
If she was a Republican, she wouldn’t be for this.
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She’s looking out for other lawyers. That’s what lawyers do best.
No matter who wins a legal battle in court, lawyers for both sides get paid.
Lawyer-definition:
While two men fight, lawyers hold their coats…and pick their pockets.
You can say the same for stock traders also…Lol
The overall median salary for entry level public defenders employed by state government was $46,000 to $58,400 . For those with five or fewer years of experience, the median range was $54,800 to $64,900 , and for those with six or more years as a public defender, the median was $60,300 to $77,700 .
A salary survey in 2010 conducted by the National Association for Law Placement indicated that an entry-level local prosecuting lawyer earned a median salary of $50,000, and for between 11 and 15 years of experience the median salary was $81,500.
I’m not sure what horizontal Harris is bitching about? The salary range is not that far apart. The big differences are the DA’s office has deeper pockets where they can employee more clerks to conduct research. They also have Detectives on their staff to do work for them.
Nothing more than damage control because of her misdeeds as a prosecutor which are going to haunt her as soon as the debates begin.
The article linked to the tweet hints at some of the complexity, including the fact that many “public defender” systems run at the county level, not the state level, but there’s also the issue of counties that contract out defense work or appoint attorneys from a list on a case-by-case basis.
I’m not of the opinion that an adequately paid system of court-appointed lawyers is inappropriate, but the pay in many jurisdictions should be significantly increased and additional funding could be used to provide support services that could be utilized by lawyers when they are court-appointed to represent clients.