Reasons not to defend:
1. A Lawyer Is Not A Common Carrier. Amtrak must carry all who pay their fare, but a lawyer need not take a case (unless assigned to do so by a court)(<--part of quote). Lawyers have a heavy duty to ensure that access to legal services is not denied to the needy, but that duty does not force lawyers to take every case that comes their way. To the contrary, the Model Rules of Professional Conduct specifically allow a lawyer to refuse or cease representation if he finds the client's goals or desired means to achieve those goals to be immoral... I argue [the hired gun who argues the cause of anyone who can afford his services] properly merits the same degree of respect given to all who value nothing but money.
הנהו בני גלילא דנפק עלייהו קלא דקטול נפשא אתו לקמיה דרבי טרפון אמרו ליה לטמרינן מר אמר להו היכי נעביד אי לא אטמרינכו חזו יתייכו אטמרינכו הא אמור רבנן האי לישנא בישא אע"ג דלקבולי לא מבעי מיחש ליה מבעי זילו אתון טמרו נפשייכו
These were the sons of the Galileans about whom a rumour spread that they killed a person. They came before R' Tarfon and said to him: "The master should hide us[from the authorities]" He said to them "What should I do"? If I don't hide you [the authorities] will see you [and execute you, on the other hand], should I hide you? The rabbis said: this is Lashon Hara, and although one should not accept it as truth, one should be mindful of it. You go hide yourselves.
1. Opponents to the death penalty
Capital-case defenders… tend to cite their opposition to the death penalty... Most criminals are not intrinsically evil, and therefore don’t deserve to be killed for the evil action they did.
The court tells them: You should know that cases of capital law are not like cases of monetary law. In cases of monetary law, a person who testifies falsely, causing money to be given to the wrong party, can give the money to the proper owner and his sin is atoned for. In cases of capital law, if one testifies falsely, the blood of the accused and the blood of his offspring that he did not merit to produce are ascribed to the witness’s testimony until eternity.
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In adversarial systems, the defense’s primary role is to test the prosecution's case. From an ethical perspective, it does not matter whether counsel believes or knows that an adverse witness is telling the truth. The court or the jury is charged with finding the truth,and counsel would be usurping this fact-finding role if he or she fails to challenge testimony that the jury might reasonably doubt.
- If the defendant is acquitted, the lawyer has worked a minor miracle; if convicted, the correct result was reached (and they were just doing their job to provide any defense possible)
- In conclusion: Were [a lawyer] to handle a case according to her own assessment of guilt or innocence, she would be in the role of judge rather than advocate.
אטמרינכו הא אמור רבנן האי לישנא בישא כו'. פי' בקונטרס ושמא הרגתם ואסור להצילכם ובשאלתות דרב אחאי מפרש שמא הרגתם ואם אטמין אתכם חייבתם ראשי למלך והיינו מיחש מיבעי ליה למיחש שיש לחוש ללשון הרע להאמינו לגבי זה שיזהר שלא יבא לו הפסד ולא לאחרים:
ועוד שלא יתן ה' השופטים הצדיקים העומדים לפניו לשפוך דם נקי כי המשפט לאלהים הוא ובקרב אלהים ישפוט והנה כל זה מעלה גדולה בשופטי ישראל וההבטחה שהקב"ה מסכים על ידם ועמהם בדבר המשפט
Additionally, God would not allow the righteous judges that stand before him to shed innocent blood "for the judgement is God's" and, "in the midst of the judges He judges." This is the tremendous eminence of the judges of Israel and the guarantee that the Holy One, blessed be He, agrees with them and is "with them, in matters of judgement".
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Defense attorneys are ethically bound to zealously represent all clients, those whom they think will be justly found guilty as well as those whom they think are factually innocent. (See Canon 7, ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility.)
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The shortest answer to the concern is that defense lawyers know that in order to protect the innocent every accused person deserves effective representation.
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The criminally accused are the representatives of us all. When their rights are eroded, the camel's nose is under and the tent may collapse on anyone. In protecting the constitutional rights of criminal defendants, we are only protecting ourselves.
(כו) הַמִּתְאָרֵחַ אֵצֶל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן וְהֵבִיא לוֹ יַיִן אוֹ בָּשָׂר אוֹ גְּבִינָה וַחֲתִיכַת דָּג הֲרֵי זֶה מֻתָּר וְאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ לִשְׁאל עָלָיו אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַכִּירוֹ אֶלָּא יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהוּא יְהוּדִי בִּלְבַד. וְאִם הֻחְזַק שֶׁאֵינוֹ כָּשֵׁר וְלֹא מְדַקְדֵּק בִּדְבָרִים אֵלּוּ אָסוּר לְהִתְאָרֵחַ אֶצְלוֹ. וְאִם עָבַר וְנִתְאָרֵחַ אֶצְלוֹ אֵינוֹ אוֹכֵל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא שׁוֹתֶה יַיִן עַל פִּיו עַד שֶׁיָּעִיד לוֹ אָדָם כָּשֵׁר עֲלֵיהֶם: