Meaning of public pretender | Babel Free

Definitions

A public defender, viewed as inadequate.

derogatory, slang

Examples

“They tell me I'm due a fair trial, but they give me a public defender (or should I say public pretender?) that has four times his normal case load. So no matter how I feel or what I think, I'm forced to put all my faith in this public pretender and hope he hasn't sold me out too badly.”

“Felipe defiantly describes what he saw in jail: "There were young guys... with 700-1,000 pounds [of marijuana]. My case, by comparison, was peanuts. It is all about money in El Paso—if you have the money, you get off; if you have a good lawyer, you get off. It's all about your lawyer. The people without money have to get a 'public pretender.'"”

“Are you saying that you want a free lawyer? […] Without me, they're gonna lock you up and throw away the key. I'm sorry, did I say "five years"? You go ahead and play Russian roulette with a public pretender, you're gonna end up doing a decade in Los Lunas!”

CEFR level