135: While She Breathes, She Hopes for a Better Future for South Carolina Public Safety w/Cameron Blazer

Jul 11, 2023

01:19:41

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On today's show, Hunter sat down with Cameron Blazer, the Circuit Public Defender in Charleston, South Carolina, to discuss the past, present, and future of Public Defense in the state. From the start of the show, Hunter has long wanted to discuss with more detail the South Carolina practice of non-attorneys serving as judges, but there is so much more to this episode than that. In an unusual turn of events, South Carolina has actually started to increase the funding for Public Defense, and in turn, people like Cameron are seizing the opportunity to make meaningful changes to both their practice and the lives of their clients.

Guests:

Cameron Blazer, Circuit Public Defender, 9th Circuit, South Carolina

Resources:

"When Your Judge Isn't a Lawyer"

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/when-your-judge-isnt-a-lawyer/515568

"Lawsuit Challenges Rural Judges without Law Degrees Instructed to Oversee Jury Trials."

http://www.fernleyreporter.com/lawsuit-challenges-rural-judges-without-law-degrees-instructed-to-oversee-jury-trials

"Rush To Judgement: How South Carolina's Summary Courts Fail to Protect Constitutional Rights".

https://www.nacdl.org/getattachment/ab9d6b03-2b45-4235-890e-235461a9bb2d/rush-to-judgment-how-south-carolina-s-summary-courts-fail-to-protect-constitutional-rights.pdf

"Summary Injustice: A Look at Constitutional Deficiencies in South Carolina's Summary Courts"

https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/media/publications/Summary%20Injustice%20-%20A%20look%20at%20Constitutional%20Deficiencies%20in%20SC%20Summary%20Courts%2C%20ACLU%2C%202016.pdf

"These Judges Can Have Less Training Than Barbers but Still Decide Thousands of Cases Each Year."