public defender

noun

Definition of public defender

: 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

DeAngelo, wearing orange jail scrubs, looked dazed and answered in a faint voice to acknowledge his lawyer was a public defender. — Fox News, "'Golden State Killer' DNA search led to wrong man last year," 28 Apr. 2018 Hoppe said Fields is qualified to be represented by a federal public defender, and appointed legal counsel for him. — CBS News, "Suspect pleads not guilty to federal hate crime charges for Charlottesville car attack," 5 July 2018 No defense attorney was listed in online court records, but one note suggests he could be represented by a public defender. — Brian Witte, Anchorage Daily News, "Suspect in Maryland newspaper to appear on 5 murder charges," 29 June 2018 Williams faced court Thursday where he was represented by a public defender but did not address the court. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "XXXTentacion's Music Video for 'SAD!' Released One Day After Fans Gathered at Memorial Service," 28 June 2018 Lampkin, who was represented by a public defender, had faced 29 charges including 23 of making false statements. — Janet Mcconnaughey, Fox News, "2012 Camp Minden explosion: 3rd defendant pleads guilty," 14 May 2018 He was given a public defender, the newspaper said. — Crystal Hill, miamiherald, "Dad smothered screaming infant daughter — then tried to shock her back to life, Ark. police say," 12 July 2018 His lawyer, Tamara Crepet, a federal public defender, could not be reached for comment. — Allyson Chiu, latimes.com, "Ex-Apple engineer arrested on his way to China, charged with stealing autonomous-car secrets," 11 July 2018 His lawyer, Tamara Crepet, a federal public defender, could not be reached for comment. — Allyson Chiu, chicagotribune.com, "Former Apple engineer arrested on his way to China, charged with stealing company's autonomous car secrets," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'public defender.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.