MARSHALL — When he first moved to Marshall as a young lawyer, Cecil Naatz said he didn’t know how long he and his family would stay.

“I remember driving out here. My wife asked me, ‘Well, how long do you think we’ll be in Marshall?’ And when you’re young like that, you’re used to moving,” Naatz said. “I was joking, and I said ‘Oh, we’ll probably be out there 20 years.’ It ended up being 46.”

For most of that time, Naatz has served as a public defender in southwest Minnesota. He said he’s enjoyed getting to help people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a defense attorney.

“We’re not money-driven. We are only driven by what’s right in the law, and that’s why I love, and have always loved, being a public defender,” he said.

Naatz officially retired this month. A reception for Naatz will be held Friday afternoon at the Public Defender’s Office in Marshall.

Naatz grew up near Brownsdale, in southern Minnesota. He said he first developed an interest in being a lawyer when he was high school student. At that time, he said, “There were controversies about, well, can the school really just go and look in your locker at any time they want? Is it really right for them to be able to do that? Or can they discipline you for something you didn’t do, even on school grounds?”

Although he was interested in becoming a lawyer, Naatz first got a teaching degree. He did his student teaching at a Catholic school in Mankato in 1976.

“But then I ended up going to law school anyway, so I never got a teaching position,” Naatz said. “I never regretted getting a teaching degree, however.”

Naatz graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1980, and interviewed with the Blaufuss and Stoneberg law firm in Marshall. The firm was the predecessor to today’s Stoneberg, Giles and Stroup law firm, he said.

Naatz said Marshall seemed like a good fit for he and his wife to raise a family.

“We didn’t want to be in the big city,” he said. “We have never regretted moving to the city of Marshall.”

At Blaufuss and Stoneberg, Naatz mainly worked in civil law, including insurance defense cases. In 1983, when then-public defender George Harrelson was elected Lyon County Attorney, Naatz succeeded him as a public defender. Harrelson later went on to become a judge in Minnesota District Court.

When Naatz first became a public defender, it was a part-time position. “They didn’t start full-time public defenders out here until 1995,” he said. Between 1984 and 1995, Naatz also had his own solo private practice in addition to working for the state.

Over the past 40 years, there have been some big changes for public defenders in the Marshall area. There are a lot more cases referred to the Public Defender’s Office today, but there are also more attorneys. When he first started out, Naatz said, “I was the only public defender for Redwood, Lyon and Lincoln County. And I was part-time, and I did all the work.”

Now the Public Defender’s Office in Marshall has has six full-time equivalent public defenders, Naatz said. Naatz served as the managing attorney for the Fifth Judicial District, up until his retirement.

“It’s been good for not only the public defenders, because we have colleagues and people that we can consult and help each other, but it’s also been good for the community, because there’s a lot of people who cannot afford to go and hire an attorney,” Naatz said. He said he’s always liked that as a public defender, he didn’t have to ask people for retainer fees.

“We do the best we can to get an acquittal, or get (clients) a lesser charge than they’re charged with,” Naatz said of his work.

He said some of the challenging parts of the job can include persuading a judge that a client’s constitutional rights have been violated by the government.

“We’re constantly fighting on behalf of the people, for the rights they have under the U.S. Constitution and the Minnesota State Constitution. And yes, we don’t always win,” Naatz said. “But I’ve always said that the measure of a government and how well it does its rule of law depends on how well you defend the rights of those who people think don’t deserve defending . . . If you defend those people’s rights, then you defend everybody’s rights.”

Being a public defender in a smaller community like Marshall also brings challenges, Naatz said. He said attorneys might know some of the local law enforcement officers, but still have to question their recollections or credibility in court.

“But it’s necessary if you’re going to be a public defender, or any criminal defense lawyer,” Naatz said.

Naatz said Marshall does have something positive that many cities don’t have, which is community policing. Law enforcement officers live in and are part of the same communities they serve, he said.

Over more than 40 years, there have been some memorable criminal cases Naatz has worked with. Some of the experiences were emotional, he said. He recalled one client who was charged with murder in Worthington. The case was tried three different times, Naatz said. The client got a new trial because of newly discovered evidence, but was found guilty a second time. Another appeal was overturned because of an error with a juror, Naatz said.

“I remember asking this guy who I was representing, I said, ‘OK, I’ve had you through two trials and you were found guilty in both of them. Are you sure you don’t want a different public defender?'” Naatz said. “He wanted me.”

“If you communicate to your client that you’re doing the absolute best job you can for them, and they know it . . . they will stick by you, whether they’re found guilty or not,” Naatz said.

One high-profile case Naatz worked on was representing the mother of a newborn found dead in the women’s restroom at the Marshall Hy-Vee in 2001. The infant came to be known locally as Baby Marshall.

“It wasn’t found out who the mother was until several years later, and of course she was charged with murder,” Naatz said.

It was another case that still carries a lot of emotions, he said.

“On a personal level, she was just a regular scared young woman, and had no big criminal past,” Naatz said. “But she was prosecuted for it, and we did work out a plea bargain on her case, because there was no doubt that this happened.”

“That was a tough case,” he said.

Other developments over the years have been positive ones, Naatz said. The Public Defender’s Office has had a good relationship with Mike Henle, who offered them space in a building he was constructing on Jewett Street. Henle also made it possible for the Public Defender’s Office to expand, thanks to a building addition in 2024. Before the building addition, the office had run out of space for things like file storage.

“I think we have one of the better (offices) in the Fifth District,” Naatz said.

Naatz said the feeling of reaching retirement was a bittersweet one. “I starting thinking about retirement when I was 65. And now I’m 72 and I thought, it’s probably about time that I stop,” he said.

He said he and his wife are thinking of moving closer to their children in the Twin Cities.

A retirement open house for Naatz will be from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Public Defender’s Office, located on Jewett Street in Marshall.