O'Mara: George Zimmerman will ask state to cover $200K-$300K of his legal bills

[branford]

37. I would never claim it happens very often, but it certainly does occur.

The attorneys in the various Public Defender offices are often quite good. Remember, not every case involves a murder with national attention, minorities make up significant percentages of many towns and counties in Florida where they serve on juries, and minorities are also often both victim and defendant with race not a factor in a case.

Even if acquittals are rare, given the VERY tight budgets that most PD offices work under, the ability to recoup any funds could make the difference for the next, possibly innocent, defendant.

I also find the criticism of the law later in the thread astonishing. This is a law designed to HELP criminal defendants, and it is being criticized simply because Zimmerman may also take advantage.