Interview with a PD: Funding, Systemic Flaws, and What Needs to Change

Want to know what it’s really like behind the badge for public defenders? Spoiler: It’s a mix of heartbreak, hustle, and systemic dysfunction that’s costing taxpayers billions—and justice. Today, we’re diving into the trenches with Seth Minetta-Dillon, a Travis County public defender, who spills the tea on underfunding, overwork, the myth of the “lesser” defender, and the systemic forces shaping the criminal justice landscape in Texas.