With fewer public defenders, indigent defendants pay the price

By: David Montgomery

Outlets: Stateline

Published: October 14, 2026

Words: 1,732

Last Updated: 3 days, 21 hours ago

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AUSTIN, Texas — It was a good day for the defense.

Standing in front of a judge in Austin’s Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center, attorney Matthew Shrum secured a ruling that spared his client from serious punishment on a shoplifting charge.

In the hallway immediately afterward, the defendant thanked Shrum with an appreciative hug.

“She walked out of there a free lady,” Shrum observed later. “It was Christmas in October.”

The 49-year-old Austin lawyer has spent …

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