Joining Megan on The Georgia Politics Podcast is attorney and former public defender, Chris Sandbach, to discuss the role of public defenders in our criminal justice system and what the appointment of Kentanji Brown Jackson means for the makeup of the Supreme Court.
Public defenders are attorneys who represent people who have been charged with a crime and who cannot afford to pay for private counsel. They face the possibility of time behind bars if convicted. The 6th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees that if someone cannot afford private counsel, a judge will appoint a public defender to defend them in a court of law, for free.
Chris, who spent over 6 years of his professional life as a public defender, talks with Megan about the ways in which our criminal justice system works, where it has room for improvement, and the role public defenders play in both.
He also talks about the recently sworn in Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson and what her experience as a public defender brings to the court, for the first time in its existence.
About Chris Sandbach
Chris Sandbach has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with an emphasis on Foreign Policy and Received his J.D. from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School in 2015. After law school, Chris Spent over 6 years working as a public defender in the Atlanta area. In 2022, he took a job with the law firm of Rickard, Drew & Nix and specializes in personal injury litigation and criminal defense. He is a member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Georgia Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers. Additionally, Chris has worked as a volunteer voting rights/voter protection attorney since 2018, served as the Political Activism Director for the Young Democrats of Atlanta in 2020 and is currently serving on the board of directors for Red Clay Democrats and the Young Professionals Board for Soccer In The Streets. Chris lives in Atlanta with his cat Larsson and enjoys playing/watching soccer and going to see live music.
Connect with Chris on Twitter @sandbach1023
Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod
Megan Gordon-Kane @meganlaneg
Proud member of the Appen Podcast Network.
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