I think the defenders should have more. Usually when the DA decides to prosecute, they already have &quot;evidence&quot;   Most of their work is done, all they have to do is present said evidence and in most cases win.  The defenders tho have to work really hard to counter all and any evidence.<p>e.g  get a ticket from the police?  that&#x27;s evidence that you were speeding. you are paying the fine unless you put in effort to prove you were not.<p>e.g. get arrested for drugs, guns.   those will be seized, the DA will look at the evidence and prosecute.  your lawyer, will have to do work to show that those are not yours, or that you were legally able to possess those, or some other way.   it seems the public defenders do more work and should have the same amount of budget, if not more.