Wisconsin’s rate of pay for private attorneys taking on public defense cases is the lowest in the nation at $40 per hour. Now, as part of a budget proposal package from a coalition of criminal justice agencies, the State Public Defender’s office is requesting that the rate be increased to $70 per hour. We look at what’s behind the state’s low public defender pay rate, and how it’s impacting clients who can’t afford a lawyer. We also look at a new federal lawsuit stemming from the public defender shortage, and why the plaintiffs say their constitutional rights are being violated.