‘This was what I was called to be.’ Centre County public defender steps down after 34 years
Centre County First Assistant Public Defender Deborah Lux is set to retire Tuesday after a 34-year career marked by the zealous defense of thousands of clients.
The Allegheny County native’s decadeslong career began serendipitously. She was the first in her family to attend college, graduated from Carlow University in 1980 with a degree in sociology and “had no desire to ever step foot in a courtroom.”
The first half of her postsecondary education prepared her to be a social worker, but that changed after a conversation with her academic adviser.
“I was talking to my adviser and he basically said to me, ‘If you’re gonna be holding people’s hands, why don’t you make a lot of money doing it? Why don’t you go to law school?’ ” Lux said.
The caustic conversation prompted her to make a straightforward decision and, years later, she graduated from Dusquene University with a degree in law.
Lux’s preference was to use her degree to practice near her hometown, but she was repeatedly turned down because of a lack of experience. One of her first opportunities came from the Centre County public defender’s office, which had only three attorneys in 1986.
Part of her onboarding included being assigned an overwhelming amount of cases and a two-year commitment because it was “unusual” for a public defender to stay for longer, Lux said.
“Initially, I believe I groused a lot about the job. I felt it was very demanding, unappreciated (and) certainly not very well paying,” Lux said. “But at some point I guess I had somewhat of an epiphany, if you will, that this was what I was called to be. The job was not something that I set out to hold.”
County Judge Jonathan Grine, defense lawyer Stephanie Cooper and Assistant Public Defender Shannon Malone were among those who fondly recalled Lux’s career.
Grine said Lux is “the type of criminal defense lawyer that attorneys should strive to be,” while Cooper said one of Lux’s hallmark personality traits is her “powerhouse” outfits.
Lux always entered the Centre County Courthouse wearing a two-piece skirt suit, pantyhose and heels. She’s proudly never worn pants to the county public defender’s office during a work day.
“I’m old-school,” Lux said. “I’ve always believed that a female attorney should dress appropriately. And to me, appropriate dress has always been a two-piece suit, high heels and a skirt as opposed to pants.”
Malone said Lux was her mentor when she began in the public defender’s office.
“I was so lucky to learn from her. She is fierce, straightforward, tough and passionate,” Malone said. “She has dedicated her life to the zealous representation of her clients and our office. Centre County has been fortunate to have her.”
Lux planned to continue working until at least 2021, but that changed after the county commissioners furloughed her for two weeks in April.
Lux, who was the only public defender to be furloughed, said she’d rather retire early than wait to potentially be furloughed again.
“There was some resentment there, quite frankly,” Lux said. “... And I get it. It all boils down to dollars and cents, but the reason my salary was the highest of all the assistants is because I’ve been here the longest.”
And while Lux’s career won’t end how — or when — she envisioned, she took pride in securing a not guilty verdict at the end of her last bench trial.
“I’m very satisfied to be going out on a high note,” Lux said.