A little clarification from an article published on March 19, 2025 about the court process of Erin White with the title How the Arrest of Buffalo Grove Tesla Dealership Defacer, Anti-Elon Musk, Anti-Trump, Transgender Activist Went Down.
A couple of individuals misunderstood and thought that CARDINAL NEWS did not understand that a Public Defender is an actual lawyer. The most lucid complaint stated the following …
“Your organization recently published an article about Erin White’s court appearance. The reported (sic) stated in the article that she did not have a lawyer but “stood next to a public defender”.
Is your reporter a real reporter?
If they were, perhaps they would know that Public Defenders are in fact licensed attorneys who attended and graduated from law school like every other LAWYER.
How disgraceful and unprofessional to indicated (sic) otherwise.”
Of course, Public Defenders, are lawyers.
The sentence originally written by CARDINAL NEWS expressing “she did not have a lawyer” was actually a short version of expressing “she does not have her own private lawyer”. Being appointed a public defender is equated with being appointed a lawyer when one doesn’t have their own lawyer. It’s baffling that a few people would be so triggered. When people are so quick to hurl insults, it’s a wonder that they get their way in life. Nevertheless the sentence was modified: “Suspect Erin L. White did not have a private lawyer, and instead stood next to a public defender before the Honorable Ellen B. Mandeltort, Associate Judge, Third Municipal District – Rolling Meadows.”
One hears fairly often something of the order …
“Does he have a lawyer?” or
“Does she have a lawyer?”
If the defendant does not have a lawyer, then a lawyer is appointed, and that lawyer is known as a public defender. What percentage of people don’t know that public defender and lawyer are synonymous in this case? There are so many television shows that have portrayed this for decades … “if you don’t have a lawyer, one will be appointed to you” … how many times have we heard that on television, and then the defendant on TV has a Public Defender. By definition a public defender is a lawyer.
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