The state's public defenders are refusing to take new cases, pointing out that even with a recently approved raise they are still among the lowest-paid in the nation. A court has ruled that it's illegal to keep poor defendants in prison for more than 7 days, so several have been released because no attorney could be found for them.

Governor Romney has filed a bill to wrest control of the state's public-defender agency away from the judicial system, saying he wants to force the public defenders to either start taking new cases or be banned from such work forever.

Who's right? What's the solution to the impasse?
Read the story: Romney seeks to seize control of public defenders

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The Democrats who control the senate by a 93% majority also control the spending in this state. For all the simple minded liberals who want to fault our Repblican Governor for this crisis, feel free to call Tommy Finneran or your local representative, who odds are, will be a screaming liberal democrat! He or she will be happy to try and raise your taxes to spend money on never ending innefective social programs that do not solve the problem. Go ahead blame Romney and call him a bad, rich man. Then go out and vote for Kerry.....such a poor good man. Enjoy the smaller pay check and the higher taxes.

Ryan, Boston

Mitt Romney shows, once again, how heavy-handed tactics and photo-ops are his bread and butter. Declaring a crisis and seeking to solve it are part of a larger plan to get to the White House in sixty seconds or less. To put this office in the executive's control is a mistake.

Peter, Somerville

Someone posted: 37.50/hr x 40 = $1500 $1500 x 52 wk = $78,000 Seems like they are paid pretty well to me?? 78K is good dough for any job, what is the problem?? You are forgetting that, first of all, a lawyer must work much more than 40 hours per week in order to BILL 40 hours per week. Thus, in order to reach that $78,000 a year figure, a lawyer must work about a sixty hour work week. Then, you are forgetting that out of that $78,000 the lawyer must pay for office space, office phone, office internet (at least $12,000/yr.), malpractice insurance (at least $1,000 per yr.), health insurance for his or her family (approximately $9,000/yr.). The lawyer must pay for at least a part-time secretary (at least $10,000/year). Now we are down to $46,000 per year without factoring in office supplies, bar membership dues, transportation costs (parking near courthouses is astronomical), and many, many other costs associated with running your own law firm, such as buying big ticket items like desks, chairs, computers, phones, fax machines, etc. And do not forget that, unlike prosecutors and most other workers, these lawyers do not have access to any retirement or pension plans, no 401k plans.

Tom, Salem

Several people have made posts where they estimate how much these attorneys are earning by simply multiplying the rate by a 40 hour work-week and 52 weeks a year. If these lawyers could bill that much I'm sure they would be pleased. However, the legal profession does not work on a time clock. You don't punch in at 9 and leave at 5. An attorney may spend an entire morning in court waiting for her case to be heard and only be able to bill for 1 hour of waiting time. 30 dollars for 4 or 5 hours of your time isn't a living wage. It's barely minimum wage. Additionally, when you consider that attorneys must shoulder vastly higher expenses to practice their profession, such as liability insurance, it is obvious that the 37.50 is inadequate. I saw a study in MA that estimated that an attorney with an individual practice faces over $40 an hour of costs. Do the math, you're losing money. The only way many of these people have been able to continue taking cases is by imposing on spouses and family members to handle some of the clerical workload so a secretary doesn't have to be hired. Would your spouse come to your office and work for free? The Constitution requires that everyone be given legal represenation if their liberty is threatened. You can't jail people on a whim in this country. Bar advocates are as essential an element in jailing criminals as the police. Unless Romney is planning to secede from the Union and set up his own little kingdom, he has to allocate enough money to meet the state's Constitutional requirements.

William, Boston

The government provides sufficient budgetary support for those law and order items that the public sees such as police officers, judges, prosecutors, techonological improvements, new courthouses, etc. Spending on these items is visible and resonates with voters. The Constitution requires those accused of crimes to have counsel yet the government is unwilling to spend the money required to provide them with counsel probably because voters don't see the visible evidence of these expenditures. It is unconscionable for the government to demand that public defenders provide services required by law at the paltry sum of $37.50 when those persons could earn better wages elsewhere. No one would think twice if a doctor or dentist refused to work for $37.50 per hour and the government would certainly not threaten to make them do so.

Susan, Boston

These lawyers need to stop dreaming and wake up. $37 an hour for someone who works at least 40 hours a week translates to more than $70,000 a year. How many lawyers work less than 40 hours a week? Who says we have to pay lawyers $100s of dollars an hour? These defendants aren't OJ or Winona Ryders who can afford high priced representation. They don't need special treatment, just someone to represent them fairly. And to the dope who said that just because someone paid $100k for schooling....every year tens of thousands of students graduate from local colleges who spent more than $100k on schooling. So by your thinking they are not treated fairly if their present employers don't pay them at least $100k or more a year. riiiight. How I wish that were true.

James, Boston

Public defenders and teachers are the state's equivalant to slave labor. It's hard enough to attract talented attorney's to pursue a career in public service even at the low national average. A multimillionare such as Romney is simply out of touch on this. No, I am neither an attorney or anti-Romney...just calling it like it is.

Charles, Charlestown

Romney's too unrealistic. Maybe he should revive those workday photo ops he did to get elected. I'd love to see him defend a mentally ill defendant for 30 bucks an hour in Lawrence district court. Donate his hair stylist's fee for a day and we'd be getting somewhere.

Mike, Methuen

Every personal injury lawyer should be forced to be public defender. The amount of money a personal injury lawyer receives from their frivilous lawsuits should be in direct relation to the number of hours he/she must publicly defend.

jake, west barnstable

Gina, Haverhill and the rest of you liberal whiners make me laugh. "Boo hoo, the public defenders ONLY make $65-75k a year on up". Give me a break. I guess we taxpayers should make it so they could get six figures minimum right?

Dave, Taunton