Marc Victor

Sunni: It would be foolish not to. It's clear from your web site that you aren't the typical criminal lawyer—you aren't doing it to churn cases and cop pleas and make a ton of money by having a high volume. It was also clear from your talk that you really seem to care about the people you represent, at least as far as getting justice is concerned. But you represent what most people, even tolerant libertarians, would consider some of the worst element of society—accused murderers, sexual offenders, fraudsters, and drug dealers. How do you view your work, and how do you explain your choice to people who see it as helping people who deserve it the least?

Marc: There are many ways to answer this question. Initially, I'm very comfortable simply enforcing the notion that before the government can cage any human, it needs to prove every element of the alleged crime with sufficient proof. It's the cases involving the nastiest of offenders where people are most willing to cut corners; I'm not. Also, there is always a question of the appropriateness of the punishment. However, the simple fact is that many of the criminal cases I have do not involve what I consider to be real crimes. I do not view most drug offenses as real crimes. As such, I am particularly happy to help an even clearly guilty drug offender. There are many crimes which I consider fake crimes.

Sunni: That's an excellent point, Marc, that a good deal of what you do centers on activities that would not be criminal in a free society. What's the saddest thing you've seen while in a court room—not necessarily in one of your own cases?

Marc: That's a very hard question considering I am constantly seeing sad and what I consider foolish things happen in court. I'm always saddened to see nice, hardworking illegal immigrants being sent off to prison because of their immigration status. I also hate to see drug offenders get time. I remember seeing both parents being taken into custody on probation violations for simply using marijuana while the minor child watched and waited for child protection services to arrive. Witnessing the Nazi-esque attitude of some prosecutors and police officers is also sad and very concerning.

Sunni: I should have known that wouldn't be an easy one. Doesn't all that dealing with the drunken monster ever wear you down? It seems to me that the deck is getting more and more stacked against us regular folks—and I know I don't have the clearer picture you do.

Marc: Practicing criminal defense does beat you up over time. I am on the front lines of the government's war against our freedoms. Needless to say, we're losing. Sometimes it seems as if I am shooting wooden arrows uphill at the government's approaching tank column. On the other hand, saving someone who committed a fake crime from the government's life-wrecking machine is hugely satisfying. I am fortunate to say I have saved many such people.

But I'm not sure why you think the deck is stacked. Just because the government makes all the rules, interprets all the rules, enforces all the rules, hires and pays all the judges and prosecutors, and carefully regulates who gets permission to oppose them doesn't mean it is skewed in any way to benefit the government. I'm kidding, of course.