DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm David Greene. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon might wish he'd begun his career as something other than a lawyer. The state's top public defender says the governor's not doing enough to lighten his caseload, and he's using a line in Missouri law that lets him appoint any member of the bar as a public defender. He sent the governor a letter and information on his client, a man who's been charged with assault. The governor's spokesman says you just can't appoint an attorney without the consent of the attorney. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.