“Louisiana’s governor was sued Monday by lawyers who say the public defender system denies effective representation to the poor.
“The lawsuit describes defendants waiting months in jail to meet a lawyer, defenders who are woefully overworked and so little funding that in some areas, low-level offenders don’t get a public defender at all. Without lawyers to advocate for them, it says, some defendants have been advised to plead guilty rather than pursue their right to try to clear their names.”