Are Michigan public defenders violating their clients constitutional rights?

Legal Ethics Forum is reporting that the Michigan Supreme Court has before it a case where the plaintiffs contend that the public defender systems in their counties are so bad that poor people are pleading guilty because, for all practical purposes, they are given no other choice. More precisely, the issue is whether cash-strapped public defenders are violating the constitutional rights of defendants by encouraging plea bargains too eagerly, as opposed to vigorously fighting the charges. Go here for the full story.