Former president of Mass. defense lawyer group on why she supports the work stoppage

Massachusetts judges are releasing people charged with crimes because they do not have lawyers to represent them amid an ongoing work stoppage of court-appointed attorneys.

The move to release four defendants Monday follows a Supreme Judicial Court ruling that ordered judges to invoke a court protocol that protects a defendant's constitutional rights to an attorney.

The lawyers, known as bar advocates, began to refuse taking new cases in late May, saying the pay is too low and their case load is too high.

WBUR's Morning Edition hears from Shira Diner with the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers about why she supports the work stoppage.