A Joplin attorney, Tom Mann has been fired as the city’s public defender because he admitted in a letter to the City Council that he made a racial comment in open court. Mann sent a letter to the Joplin City Council and was obtained by The Globe through a request filed by the state’s Sunshine Law after city officials last week said it was a closed record because it pertains to a personnel issue. The letter has been reprimanded four previous times for inappropriate comments in court. The council voted 7-2 on November 1st to ask Mann to resign after a closed meeting was held citing the personnel issue. On November 15th the council held a discussion during an informal meeting about how to proceed with the hiring of a new public defender and the existence of the letter was also discussed at that meeting too.
As an attorney, you should watch what you say because anything can be offensive to a client and it is inappropriate to make such a comment in court, especially coming from a public offender, but I also don’t think it’s right to announce the personal issue in the news paper to make a attorney look bad, since he is a college teacher too.http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x20123496/Attorney-admits-he-made-racial-comment-in-court
I read this article online earlier today. I'm sorry but you are viewed in the spotlight and are supposed to be unbiased and make comments as he did that is just wrong. It makes you wonder about the people he represented if they truly got justice.
ReplyDeleteThis Public Defender has apparently forgotten that he took an oath to provide his clients with the best and equal defense under the law.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a little difficult for me to believe I was being aggressively defended if my attorney (P.D. or not) was making comments that assaulted my race (or gender, etc).
As for this attorney's dirty laundry being aired; gonna go with "too bad, so sad". When you are in certain professions, you choose to be held to a standard that just simply hangs your bvd's in plain view.
Put on your big-boy pants and deal with it, Mr.