What It’s Really Like Being a Public Defender | Lucas Hirsty | Pink Politics

Public defender and Members of the Jury host Lucas Hirsty joins Pink Politics to take us inside a side of the criminal justice system most people never get to see. Lucas talks about becoming a public defender, being thrown into a jury trial against a prosecutor with a decade of experience when he had barely started practicing, handling homicide cases, and why public defenders don’t get to choose the cases that land on their desks. 

Kathleen and Lucas also break down the complicated intersection between criminal and immigration law, including how a plea deal can carry very different consequences for a non-citizen, why defense attorneys have to consider immigration consequences, and how some defendants can face the difficult decision between fighting a criminal charge and accepting an immigration-friendlier resolution. 

Later, Lucas gives his perspective on the online debate surrounding the Lindsay Clancy case, reasonable doubt, mental state, mistrials, media influence and what social media gets wrong about criminal trials. He also tackles some of the biggest misconceptions about public defenders, plea deals and why public defense is far more complicated than its portrayal on TV. 

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