A racist joke has cost the head of the St. Louis public defender’s office his job. District Defender Kent Hall has resigned amid a furor he created when he told the joke last week to several of the department’s lawyers. Some within the office say the joke undermined Hall’s credibility, especially in light of the fact that nine out of ten clients of the office are black. The Director of the State Public Defenders, Marty Robinson, issued a short statement, saying the office investigated the matter and recognizes that one of its managers made a statement that was appalling and inexcusable, adding that the public defender system has a long and honorable history of fighting against all forms of discrimination and prejudice.
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