Politico points to Idaho, Rep. Perry, in report on how conservative lawmakers are pushing public defense reform

Politico is featuring Idaho Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa, today in an extensive article on how conservative state lawmakers across the nation are becoming advocates for public defense reform. In Idaho, Perry co-chaired the legislative interim committee to improve Idaho’s constitutionally troubled public defense system, and sponsored reform legislation. The article is online here ; it’s headlined, “How Conservatives Learned to Love Free Lawyers for the Poor, By reframing the issue around the evils of big government, Republicans are notching victories that have eluded more liberal legislatures.”

UPDATE: The Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association, Idaho Sheriffs Association and Idaho Fraternal Order of Police have issued a statement responding to some of Perry’s comments in the Politico article; you can read their statement here .