Public defender head leaving post

The director of a state public defender's office is stepping down in July. Mike Mears says his decision to leave the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council has nothing to do with pressures he has faced to solve a funding crisis at the agency. A budget shortfall has led to problems funding defense costs for indigent cases around the state, including the death penalty case of accused Atlanta Courthouse Killer Brian Nichols. Mears plans to join the faculty at John Marshall Law School in Atlanta.