public defender
noun
: a lawyer usually holding public office whose duty is to defend accused persons unable to pay for legal assistance
Examples of public defender in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Court records show he has been appointed a public defender.
—
Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Represented by a public defender at Monday’s first court appearance, Dawkins entered a not guilty plea to a charge of first degree murder.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
The pair of public defenders were paid a $12,000 flat fee that provided them with no incentive to invest time in his case, the appeal said.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
He was declared indigent at the hearing, so a public defender, Shane Ethridge, was appointed to represent him.
—Steven Mross, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Jeffrey Linehan, a public defender assigned to Stora’s case, declined to comment.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Attorneys and students with the project raised serious questions about the trial evidence and urged the Santa Clara County district attorney and public defender offices to revisit the conviction, which led to Rubalcava gaining his freedom.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
The county public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
—Alex Lo, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2024
In one case, the city’s advocacy led a judge to impose $1,000 bail for a homeless man arrested for sleeping on the beach, over the objection of a public defender who disputed a police report that said the man refused assistance and shelter.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Represented by a public defender at Monday’s first court appearance, Dawkins entered a not guilty plea to a charge of first degree murder.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
The pair of public defenders were paid a $12,000 flat fee that provided them with no incentive to invest time in his case, the appeal said.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
He was declared indigent at the hearing, so a public defender, Shane Ethridge, was appointed to represent him.
—Steven Mross, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Jeffrey Linehan, a public defender assigned to Stora’s case, declined to comment.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Attorneys and students with the project raised serious questions about the trial evidence and urged the Santa Clara County district attorney and public defender offices to revisit the conviction, which led to Rubalcava gaining his freedom.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
The county public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
—Alex Lo, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2024
In one case, the city’s advocacy led a judge to impose $1,000 bail for a homeless man arrested for sleeping on the beach, over the objection of a public defender who disputed a police report that said the man refused assistance and shelter.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'public defender.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Public defender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20defender. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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