An assistant public defender who was fired from his south Georgia post after complaining about deplorable working conditions and a staggering caseload last year has filed suit against the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council and his old office, alleging illegal retaliation under the state’s whistleblower statute.
Former Towaliga Circuit Assistant Public Defender Leo “Jim” Kight Jr. was fired last fall after a series of clashes with his boss, then-Circuit Defender Wanda Johnson, over his efforts, which included asking the chief judge of the Monroe County Superior Court to declare the entire circuit public defender office incapable of providing effective assistance of counsel for the defendants it served.
