Why the Difference in Pay for States Attorneys and Public Defenders?
Nov. 23, 2006 Chicago Daily Southtown Opinion, By Brian Boersma Every day, assistant state’s attorneys and assistant public defenders walk into court seeking justice for victims of crime and for defendants. In these courtrooms stands a statue of a blindfolded woman holding the scales of justice, symbolizing how our courts must be fair and balanced. And yet the courts are imbalanced as my counterpart in the public defender’s office, a professional with the same experience doing the same kind of work, is paid more than I am. The assistant public defenders are not to blame for this disparity, the county government is. Dedicated public defenders are an integral component of the criminal justice system. They do an excellent job and are deserving of their salaries. However, paying disparate salaries for similar work is fundamentally unfair and is out of balance. Many assistant states attorneys owe more than $100,000 in law school loans. As a result, as much as one-third of their post-tax inc
