Poor Defendants Sue Wisconsin Over Poor Public Defense

The state of Wisconsin could soon be ordered to provide better legal help to poor suspects.  A group of defendants from poor and rural communities this week filed a lawsuit that says the legal system for poor people is in crisis.  Wisconsin has one of the lowest rates for attorneys to take on public defense casework, at just 40 dollars-an-hour.  The lawsuit says that’s created a lack of public defenders, and that’s left people without means to languish in jail or without representation.