Legal Question in Constitutional Law in Missouri

Re: Indigency determination

They can't "force" a person to do anything, but they can deny a publicly-funded attorney to represent him if he doesn't meet the definition of indigence, and they can take his real estate and personal property into account when making this decision.

If you need an attorney and have assets, it is reasonable to expect you to use those assets to pay for your needs. Taxpayers should not have to subsidize what you can afford, even if affording it requires you to liquidate some property you very much want to keep.