Justice should become a little more certain in Western Virginia with congressional approval announced this week of an office of federal public defender.

Such an office already exists to serve the more populous Eastern Judicial District of Virginia, so the development of a similar office based in Roanoke should help ensure that indigent defendants receive a consistently high quality of legal representation in federal cases - which, after all, is the standard of justice every American should expect. Judges try to match court-appointed attorneys' professional competencies with cases at issue, but that is not always possible with lawyers who practice in both federal and state courts.

A public defender staff, concentrating full time on federal law, would bring far greater expertise and efficiency to the administration of the legal system.

Residents of the Western District of Virginia should applaud the commitment by Congress to strengthen the cause of justice for all.

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