Courtesy | Hillsdale College Federalist Society
Public defenders act as the wall between mob justice and liberty, according to Joe Bugni, a federal crime attorney in Wisconsin.
Ryan Walsh ’09, a former clerk to Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, interviewed Bugni on Oct. 15 about Bugni’s work as a public defender. More than 50 students attended “A Day in the Life of a Public Defender,” which was hosted by Hillsdale College’s Federalist Society in Lane Hall.
“The justice system survives when the government is held to an honest system,” Bugni said. “My job is to pick apart the government’s case to have vigorous representation for my client.”
Bugni hopes to combat injustice in society by maintaining the integrity of the law, he said. Although someone may appear to have done something wrong, the legal system should consider them innocent before a conviction. If popular opinion is allowed to decide guilt and innocence, he explained, then the legal system will never give true justice.
“Only God knows the true innocence or guilt of a person,” Bugni said. “No matter what happens, whatever the mob rules, someone needs to stand up and say the law is not mob justice. There is no exception to the Bill of Rights.”
As a public defender, Bugni said he represents clients who do not have private lawyers in the court of law. Bugni said he researches every case thoroughly and builds a strong defense for every client, even when he doubts their innocence.
“Even for the guy who I think might be guilty, I’m ready to go to war,” Bugni said. “There’s no exception for justice, regardless of whether we like someone or not. If we pick and choose who to defend, we’re no better than the cancel culture.”
Standing up for the law may mean defending someone who did something wrong, but both Bugni and Walsh said it’s important to defend everyone to protect justice and liberty.
“We’re operating in a jury-based legal system,” Walsh said. “If you’re able to convince the jury that you’re not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and are set free despite being guilty, it’s better than an innocent person being jailed. We don’t want to give the police or the judicial system an unjust advantage.”
Bugni said he loves his job as a public defender because he gets to be part of something greater than himself.
“Being a constitutional lawyer is a life of service,” he said. “It’s a chance to fulfill our calling to take care of the people around us; to defend the weak, powerless, and defenseless.”
According to Bugni, the most rewarding part of his job is building a personal connection with the clients he defends. Bugni shared the story of a former client Ronnie Wells, a young man who became the enforcer of a large drug ring.
“Ronnie graduated last in his class at Vincent High School, which is the worst school in Milwaukee,” Bugni said. “When the police arrested Ronnie, the charges brought against him involved dealing heroin causing death. My defense of Ronnie required explaining the source of this heroin.”
At first, the only information Wells recalled was that his heroin source was named “Woo Woo.” But after thinking for some time, Wells was able to perfectly remember the random collection of numbers and letters on Woo Woo’s license plate. Bugni was impressed by Wells’ apparent talent with numbers and got him out on bail so Wells could attend a technical school.
“Ronnie graduated at the top of his class with honors,” Bugni said. “After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for computer science and graduated with honors. At the hearing, the judge shook Ronnie’s hand and said he had never seen someone transform their life like that.”
Ryan Carmody, a sophomore and member of the Federalist Society, said he agreed with Bugni’s point that everyone deserves protection under the law.
“Even though he’s a public defender who might have to defend people who are not so good, he has an obligation to fight for them just as hard as for the innocent to keep the system honest,” Carmody said.
JP Kurlich, a sophomore and member of the Federalist Society, said he thinks not everyone should become a defense attorney even though this job is essential to the justice system.
“Most people seem more interested in enforcing their own idea of the moral law, not the actual rule of law,” Kurlich said. “We should use the system as it’s intended instead of subverting the law.”
Although his job sometimes poses difficulties, Bugni said he is grateful for the opportunity to defend the law.
“There are days where I want to curl up under my desk, but God works through that,” Bugni said. “This job is a challenge, but my life is not going to be measured out in coffee spoons.”