Defending public defenders: ‘If we didn’t have lawyers to defend criminal defendants, there would be no justice’

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, accompanied by President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House …

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, accompanied by President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, April 8, 2022, celebrating the confirmation of Jackson as the first Black woman to reach the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

by: Andrew Harris

Posted: Apr 10, 2022 / 06:20 PM CDT

Updated: Apr 10, 2022 / 06:20 PM CDT

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WGN Radio’s Karen Conti is joined by former Cook County Public Defender Amy Campanelli to discuss the reaction that now-confirmed and soon-to-be-sworn-in as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson received during her hearing for having worked as a public defender. She stressed the need for public defense attorneys and cited wrongful convictions and disproportionate punishments as reasons they are a necessity.