Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit

With most of the criminal defenses in the six-county 2nd Judicial Circuit now falling to the Public Defender's office, that job is of vital importance to the region's criminal justice system. Also, there are widespread calls to reform that system, even as the pandemic is shrinking the state revenues on which that system depends. To talk about those and other issues are: Incumbent Public Defender Andy Thomas; and challenger Jessica Yeary.