A public defender does not act under color when representing her client in the criminal-justice process. But this?
Full disclosure: One of the first cases I worked on as a clerk on the district court was a § 1983 action against an assistant DA who assaulted a defense attorney during proceedings in state court. My judge concluded that the ADA's position was not a but-for cause of his conduct. (This was a puzzle in early editions of the book).
