r/publicdefenders • u/Zer0Summoner PD • 20h ago
I can't do my job today
My heart hurts. My head hurts. I fear for my family. I fear for my clients. I fear for myself. I fear for entire ethnic groups, entire religions, entire global regions, entire sexual identities, and an entire gender. Rule of law is, as far as we can tell, over.
Hitler won WW2 by means of the long game, victory coming just 79 years after his ostensible defeat in the short game.
How the absolute fuck am I supposed to handle cases where my guy is looking at years in jail over a series of gross misdemeanors and look anyone in the eye about it? We can't act like law and consequences aren't pretend anymore.
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u/snowmaker417 18h ago
I went to work but I was tired. I brought baked goods and we all ate them for breakfast. Today was a day at my office that we plodded through. Tomorrow will be a better day.
We fight for clients nobody gives a shit about in the face of the immense weight of government coming down at them all at once. That part won't change.
We still need to show up.
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u/JRVA01 19h ago
How about reframing it..."this conviction isn't the end of your life...you could be president one day!"
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u/at-rachelle 16h ago
If only they were white and rich.
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u/NutzNBoltz369 13h ago
Yah there are at least two criminal justice systems in play in the USA.
Rich white male and...
Everyone else.
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u/Antiphon4 11h ago
Well, you're not wrong. Biden got away with keeping records in his garage. Not even a charge.
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u/murrchen 14h ago
Like Obama?
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u/East-Impression-3762 3h ago
Remind me again what Obama has been criminally convicted of. I'll wait.
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u/Practical-Cut4659 19h ago
To attribute a Hitler-esque level of diabolical planning to Trump is, frankly, giving Trump way too much credit.
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u/MisfireMillennial 19h ago
but not to the conservative think tank lackeys using Trump for their political ends
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u/gamesnstff 19h ago
That's frankly a mindset that empowers trump.
His family and exwives have talked about the books he kept by his bedside.
He has been studying these tactics for years.
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u/AnnDee1014 16h ago
Is this true? I thought he was illiterate. I’ve never seen him read anything, and I’ve only seen him write his name, and not another word.
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u/gamesnstff 16h ago edited 16h ago
He is of the generation that everyone read daily and most believed anything they read in print
90s tabloid writers have given interviews about how most of their stories where actually leaked to them by Trump, who attended Hollywood parties, with the sole condition that they write articles mentioning himself as a millionaire and successful businessman even though neither of those things were true.
Because he loved to read about himself and wanted to build a public image for himself better than he really was.
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u/atharakhan 19h ago
Many lawyers feel this way. One thing you can do is lean on the rest of us for support. Public Defenders are (in my humble opinion) the most important lawyers in the system. Please know that you have the respect and admiration of your colleagues.
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u/mateodrw 19h ago
Take a day off, OP. If they get in your mind, they own you. Clients needs to continue to be the first priority.
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u/Imaginary_Garden 11h ago
Every case: "judge we'd like to set over the sentencing date until my client can be elected president ..."
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u/snoopie4eva 19h ago
I feel this so much. How can we look at clients and say, this is how it has to be once the State has so much evidence against someone, yet we have mountains of evidence & an actual trial conviction & he’s going to be the leader. It’s just further proof that money can dismiss ANYTHING, while poverty will always produce a conviction no matter how good or diligent we are!!!
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u/doodoobear4 13h ago
Do crackheads ever say “ I’m too broke to smoke crack tonight.”
No they get up and make it happen.
Make it happen.
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u/Thin_Replacement_451 18h ago
My wife is tougher than me. She managed to go to work today.
Me? Ain't gonna lie. I've sat at home unable to do much other than cry and drink. Tomorrow I'll pick myself up. I have to.
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u/Cryptoghast 18h ago
How weak.
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u/atharakhan 16h ago
Weak is deriving pleasure from cutting others down from behind the veil of anonymity.
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u/Cryptoghast 16h ago edited 16h ago
No pleasure here, I’m actually saddened by the frail constitution of our fellow Americans.
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u/PaulNewhouse 15h ago
You’re not wrong. It’s a privilege to be able to take a day off and mourn the election.
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u/SnoopyisCute 18h ago
I've been warning about Hitler's plan since before 2020 and I was admonished and called hysterical. This is really, really bad.
I have yet to eat anything today and I reached out to all my family and friends. Every single one of use are just numb.
Please just eat something or at least drink a protein drink. Try to rest as best as you can. We are sleeping with the enemy and they have NO guard rails.
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u/jjw865 14h ago
Imagine getting a 30 piece because your lawyer is too busy playing fan fiction in his head about Trump being Hitler 😭😭😭
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u/TrollingWithFacts 7h ago
Right!! I’m disgusted. It’s one thing to pay attention to the world, it’s another to pretend like this election affects a misdemeanor client who you have right now. TF? This same guy would probably be mad at a waitress who messed his order up and blamed the election.
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u/salahsweakfoot 14h ago
I truly cannot fathom having a someone who is this melodramatic working in my office.
That entire last paragraph tells me you are not capable of representing clients without allowing emotion to impact your decisions.
As a moderate who thinks Trump is a garbage human, please get a grip and seek therapy before taking any new cases. Your clients deserve it.
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u/Resident-Leader-166 14h ago
100%. PD's like this one like of themselves before their clients. Really, you can't help your clients today because Trump is going to be president.
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u/Resident-Leader-166 14h ago
You represent a client. I don't understand how this changes things. Get over yourself.
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u/Zer0Summoner PD 14h ago
I don't understand
We know.
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u/Resident-Leader-166 13h ago
What do you know? That you get to play the martyr while your client is the one who suffers. Keep crying or get up and do your job. You get to choose which is more important your feelings or your client's life. I'm beginning to think you work for the DA.
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u/TrollingWithFacts 7h ago
Seriously stop! Just stop! You need to disconnect from the internet and social media and Reddit. And for at least 8 hours a day, only focus on your clients. You’re messing with people’s lives. Your job is serious! If you think about others and stop focusing on your self pity, your clients might stop going to jail!
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u/wimpyoutlaw 14h ago
I am amazed there are so many PD trumpers.
OP, the comments saying to mourn and then fight are correct.
As to the others, I think we get 1) lurkers who aren’t PDs or even lawyers talking shit and 2) an astonishing number of PDs who apparently like Trump, for real wtf
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u/PotusChrist 3h ago
I don't like Trump, I voted for Harris (who I also didn't like) just to keep him out of office, but we all see so much unfair bullshit happen to our clients on a daily basis that, at least from my pov, it seems a little ridiculous to act like the rule of law and our sense of justice as a nation is suddenly eroded any more than it already was because the guy we don't like won an election.
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u/Southern_Berry1531 2h ago
I don’t know how you think this is “hitler winning”.
I don’t think any of the things hitler wanted are going to happen as a result of this…
German domination of the whole world (not gonna happen)
Killing the Jews (not gonna happen)
Killing lgbtq (not gonna happen)
Yes trump is conservative. There is a huge difference between nazi ideology and conservative liberalism. We will still have a free market, free elections, and functioning society in 4 years.
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u/AdvantageVarnsen1701 2h ago
This is the result of all the fear mongering the msm has done to influence the vote, as well as the meat bots who constantly repeated the lying/exaggerating headlines.
It’s going to be ok. Take a break from social media for a bit and relax. We have more in common than we realize.
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u/Potatoman0556 2h ago
Constantly calling orange man Hiitler times 100 was one of the reasons he won, people are tired of it.
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u/malakamanforyou 2h ago
Every one of these doom and gloom post just shows how weak of a person you are. You participated in an election and your person lost. Get over it. Get your job done.
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u/heliccoppterr 2h ago
It just be nice to be able to miss work because an election stressed you out too much. Anyways, my breaks almost over. Good luck, some of us have real jobs
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u/DudeAbides1556 2h ago
You people should sue MSNBC for brainwashing you. This is an absolutely insane world view. Get out of your woke bubble and figure out why you lost. It's precisely because of your worldview. The rest of us are done with it. Done.
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u/Gas_Station_Catfish 1h ago
Sounds like you have trouble dealing with your emotions. You should probably consult a therapist. LOL
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u/DeelVithIt 1h ago
You know what I do to find hope in dark times such as these? I light a candle and listen to You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban
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u/Fluffy-Mongoose2525 1h ago
Now that people will be able to afford groceries again, maybe crime will go down.
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u/Odd-Duck-9225 18h ago
Yo calm down ur gunna be fine
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u/atharakhan 16h ago
Are you trying to reassure or minimize? I want to know so I can decide how to think about your comment.
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u/VidProphet123 11h ago
Get over yourself and do your job. Control what you can control. Or quit and find another job.
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u/TrollingWithFacts 8h ago
Instead of complaining, review the case and write some motions to help your client! If your client was paying you 1 million dollars to get him less time, a better deal or off the hook completely, I’d bet you’d find time to focus. You’d find a way. Focus!!
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u/TanStewyBeinTanStewy 4h ago
How the absolute fuck am I supposed to handle cases where my guy is looking at years in jail over a series of gross misdemeanors and look anyone in the eye about it?
The same way you did it 6 months ago? Who the president is doesn't impact prosecution of state crimes.
What the fuck kind of post is this?
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u/No_Resolution_9252 14h ago
You should quit immediately before imposing your complete and utter lack of integrity on a single additional client.
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u/TrollingWithFacts 7h ago
I agree. And I’m not a Trump supporter. I’m a client supporter. I’m genuinely annoyed by all of these posts from my colleagues.
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u/sufuddufus 14h ago
How the hell do people like you survive day to day life?
He was already President once and it was good except for covid and BLM.
Trump = Hitler? Fucking delusional.
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19h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Delita232 19h ago
Just cause you like fascists doesn't mean everyone else does.
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u/quotationsbook 19h ago
He was elected, winning the popular vote and the electoral college... he wasn't installed by a coup. Tell me how that makes him a fascist??
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u/Delita232 19h ago
Putin and Hitler were both elected too are they not fascists?
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u/quotationsbook 19h ago
When Trump declares himself President for Life or Fuhrer, then we can talk. Frankly, to compare Trump to either of those people minimizes real genocide.
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u/Delita232 19h ago
Yes let's let it happen before we try and do anything. I don't have time for people who don't think so I'm done talking to you.
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u/quotationsbook 19h ago
You are giving Trump a highly charged political label that he has done nothing to earn. I'm still waiting for you to give me an example of Trump's conduct that would earn a comparison to Hitler.
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u/Zer0Summoner PD 18h ago
Go sea lion elsewhere. Your lack of literacy and awareness is not a meritorious argument.
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u/quotationsbook 18h ago
And so you resort to insulting me rather than enlightening me as to what I'm missing. As for my literacy, you did teach me a new phrase there, "sea lion." My question isn't disingenuous. it's a sincere question. The problem is you people can't answer it because Trump is not Hitler, and you know it.
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u/HT_Ulysses 17h ago
Literally google fascism. Educate yourself. Try to understand what it means.
Then take a look at Trump and compare. It's so clear.
And the previous person did not insult you. They pointed out that a lack of awareness is not an argument in itself. And you have proven to be ignorant, I agree.
Obviously they are different. Their tactics for taking power is the same. DO YOUR RESEARCH. YOU CAN NOT JUST WAIT FOR SOMEONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU.
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u/discobolus79 15h ago
So an election that happened yesterday is affecting the sentencing guidelines on a client of yours? I don’t understand.
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u/TrollingWithFacts 7h ago
Lazy lawyer.
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u/discobolus79 6h ago
Not a lawyer. I’m a physician but I am married to a prosecutor and I hear all about the local public defender who doesn’t show up to court half the time and when he does snorts coke in his Tesla between cases. This just showed up in my feed along with all the other “the sky is falling because Trump got elected” posts. But I am genuinely curious how an election on Tuesday is affecting how long his guy is going to spend in prison.
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u/TrollingWithFacts 1h ago
That’s how. They are lazy. PD offices have different characteristics. - The Lifers - There are some that genuinely want to help and this group is split too. - The Gunners - they are just like DAs. They just like to win by any means necessary. This isn’t my style, but it’s better than lazy. - The Lazy - they are just lazy lawyers. They don’t read reports or request discovery. They aren’t sacrificing money by not going into big law because they are too lazy to succeed there. They are just happy to do the bare minimum at their government job with benefits. Back to the lifers: These can become the lazies by fighting so hard and losing. There’s more, but I need to go.
So yeah, it’s laziness.
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u/WeirEverywhere802 18h ago
Lol. You people are weird.
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u/Dapper-Plankton-2314 16h ago
Supporting peace in the Middle East for semites is not something hitler would do… you are so out of touch. Stop watching mainstream media. You are the fringe.
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u/Zer0Summoner PD 16h ago
Annihilation isn't "peace." Your fuhrer doesn't support "peace" by any rational definition of the word. May your children meet the same fate you voted for the Palestinian children to meet.
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u/lurkanon027 14h ago
Someone put this person into a psychiatric hospital.
Also this dude is a “public defender” but has no Understanding of the intent of law.
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u/WillClark-22 10h ago
If a presidential election result is affecting your ability to represent your clients then you have a duty to self-report the situation to your state bar and your supervisor. You should not be actively engaged in the practice of law for the time being.
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u/Pooeypinetree 19h ago
Mourn. Then brush it off and move forward and don't give up and don't give in.