Brad Morris, whose office has defended the poor in court for eight years, sees his job as a way to protect the U.S. Constitution.Friday, Morris was sworn in for a third four-year term as the public defender for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit.He has led the office since its inception in 2004, building it from the ground up into an office with 14 attorneys and 10 support staff.In a conversation with The Times about his role in the community, Morris spoke of his defense of the circuit’s poor as a civic duty.“We’re defending our clients within the realm of the Constitution against the government depriving of their liberty, which is a pretty important role,” Morris said.Morris likens his job’s role in protecting democracy to his recovery from a wreck that seriously injured him in 2009.Despite his injuries, Morris said he had to exercise his muscles and take part in extensive physical therapy. Defending others’ rights within the parameters of the Constitution works the same way, he said.“If you don’t exercise something, it’s not going to be there,” Morris said. “That’s certainly true of these various rights.”Morris said a case in Texas, where he said a man who stole a chicken from a supermarket and received a life sentence, inspired him to work in criminal defense.And now, Morris has been on that side of the courtroom for some 35 years, though today, his role is more administrative.Morris sees his defense of the area’s poor as a “Christian-based” work.