Coverage Roundup: Prosecutors Drove Cost of Ga. Death Penalty Case
A retired Georgia judge who stepped down from the 2005 Atlanta courthouse killings case told an ABA panel today that prosecutors are partially to blame for high costs and delays associated with the ongoing capital trial.
Retired Superior Court Judge Hilton Fuller said that prosecutors could have scaled down their case against Brian Nichols without hurting their chances, the Associated Press reports.
Fuller argued that the Nichols trial should be an example of how the actions of prosecutors influence the cost of an adequate defense in death penalty cases.
The AP notes that prosecutors in the case presented a 54-count indictment and identified 487 witnesses, obligating the defense to investigate all of them. Controversy then erupted when the defense presented a $1.8 million bill.
Fuller reportedly said that prosecutors should have moved forward with one or two cases.
Fuller stepped down from the case in January after the New Yorker quoted him saying about Nichols, “Everyone in the world knows he did it.”
In the ongoing case, Nichols is accused of killing a judge, court reporter, sheriff’s deputy and federal agent.
Other coverage from the meeting:
Online International News Network: US Bar Association announces “rule of law” award for Pakistani lawyers, judges
New York Times: He Broke My Heart; I’ll Sing (and Sue)
NYTimes.com: Lawyers at Bar Association Meeting Use ‘Don Giovanni’ as a Lawsuit Lesson
WestBlog.net: Special Night on Ellis Island
Thoughtful Legal Management: 90 Tips in 90 Minutes - Best of ABA TECHSHOW
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (sub. req.): ABA group: Pick US judges as done by Illinois
Annual Meeting 2008:
