Prosecutors

District attorney accused of retaliatory defamation is protected from suit, 11th Circuit says

Qualified immunity protects a former Georgia prosecutor accused of defaming a man in retaliation for his bid for wrongful-conviction compensation, a federal appeals court has ruled. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Atlanta tossed the suit by former prisoner Douglas Echols against Spencer Lawton, who was Chatham County’s…

Jan 30, 2019 7:00 AM CST

Former prosecutor who stole colleague’s underpants gets indefinite suspension

A former Iowa prosecutor who pleaded guilty to the theft of a colleague’s underpants has had his law license suspended. The Iowa Supreme Court suspended Benjamin Stansberry indefinitely last Friday, with no possibility of reinstatement for at least a year. Before he can be reinstated, Stansberry will have to provide…

Jan 29, 2019 3:46 PM CST

Judge kicked prosecutor out of courtroom in retaliation for previous successful appeal, recusal motion says

Federal prosecutors alleged in a recusal motion that U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes kicked a female prosecutor out of the courtroom and barred her from representing the government because of her successful appeal in a previous case. Hughes denied the motion last Tuesday, the Texas Lawyer reports. The article has…

Jan 28, 2019 7:45 AM CST

One way to deal with cops who lie? Blacklist them, some DAs say

In the racially divided city of St. Louis, the chief prosecutor has embraced a controversial tool to hold police accountable: blacklisting cops who she says are too untrustworthy to testify in court.

Jan 25, 2019 7:55 AM CST

Conflict questions raised about prosecutors’ vote to join police union

Assistant prosecutors and investigators in St. Louis County have voted to join the police union in advance of a reform-minded leader taking the helm. The Monday vote is raising questions about possible conflicts of interest, report the Associated Press and the St. Louis American. Columnists for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch…

Dec 21, 2018 11:28 AM CST

Charges tossed for accused child sex abuser after prosecutor’s public intoxication arrest at courthouse

An Iowa man accused of sexually assaulting a minor has won dismissal of the charges after the prosecutor was arrested at the courthouse for public intoxication on the day he was scheduled to enter a guilty plea. Judge Martha Mertz of Osceola, Iowa, dismissed charges against 23-year-old Dennis Simmerman on…

Dec 19, 2018 11:56 AM CST

Poacher must watch ‘Bambi’ at least once per month while in jail, judge says

A Missouri judge has sentenced a poacher to watch the movie Bambi at least once per month while in jail for illegally killing deer. Judge Robert George of Lawrence County added the Bambi requirement to a one-year sentence for David Berry Jr., 29, of Brookline, Missouri, report the Springfield News-Leader,…

Dec 18, 2018 9:45 AM CST

Russian student pleads guilty to plot to influence US politics; reason for advisory counsel revealed

A Russian grad student who attended American University in Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to act as a foreign agent in a plea deal that required continued cooperation with federal prosecutors. Maria Butina, 30, admitted conspiring with a Russian government official “to establish unofficial lines of communication…

Dec 13, 2018 1:39 PM CST

Former prosecutor’s disbarment for anonymous online posts is lesson for other lawyers, court says

A former federal prosecutor has been disbarred for posting anonymous online comments about cases being handled by himself or by his office. The Louisiana Supreme Court ordered the disbarment of Sal Perricone in a Dec. 5 decision noted by the Legal Profession Blog. The court said Perricone had violated ethics…

Dec 10, 2018 7:25 AM CST

Indiana AG won’t be charged for alleged groping; prosecutor says he can’t prove intent

A special prosecutor won’t charge Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill with battery for allegedly touching four women inappropriately during an end-of-the-legislative session party in March. In a press conference on Tuesday, special prosecutor Daniel Sigler said he found the four accusers—including a state representative—to be credible, but he doesn’t believe…

Oct 24, 2018 12:49 PM CDT

Prosecutor who questioned Ford says evidence against Kavanaugh wouldn’t merit prosecution

The Arizona sex crimes prosecutor who questioned Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser has concluded that no reasonable prosecutor would bring a case against the U.S. Supreme Court nominee based on the evidence presented at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday. Rachel Mitchell said the evidence is not even sufficient to satisfy…

Oct 1, 2018 8:50 AM CDT

Alaska governor to propose legislation after offender receives lenient plea deal for sex crime

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker says he plans to propose legislation that would make unwanted contact with semen a sex crime following an outcry over a plea deal for a man accused of choking a woman to unconsciousness and masturbating on her face. Justin Schneider was sentenced last week to two…

Sep 27, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

St. Louis prosecutor won’t take cases from 28 police officers; union seeks TRO

After St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced her agency would no longer accept criminal cases from 28 city police officers due to “credibility issues,” their union on Tuesday sought a temporary restraining order to block the release of the officers’ names. Open cases handled by the 28 officers are…

Sep 6, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Percentage of federal weapons prosecutions up sharply under Sessions-led DOJ

Data shows a large increase in the percentage of federal weapons prosecutions as the fiscal year winds down. Figures were compiled by TRAC Reports, a data-collection group at Syracuse University, and reported by Courthouse News Service. The TRAC study shows 8,403 such cases were brought through the first 10 months…

Sep 5, 2018 2:50 PM CDT

District attorney accused of retaliatory defamation is protected from suit, 11th Circuit says

Former prosecutor who stole colleague’s underpants gets indefinite suspension

Judge kicked prosecutor out of courtroom in retaliation for previous successful appeal, recusal motion says

One way to deal with cops who lie? Blacklist them, some DAs say

Top 10 most-read legal news stories of 2018

Conflict questions raised about prosecutors’ vote to join police union

Charges tossed for accused child sex abuser after prosecutor’s public intoxication arrest at courthouse

Poacher must watch ‘Bambi’ at least once per month while in jail, judge says

Russian student pleads guilty to plot to influence US politics; reason for advisory counsel revealed

Former prosecutor’s disbarment for anonymous online posts is lesson for other lawyers, court says

Indiana AG won’t be charged for alleged groping; prosecutor says he can’t prove intent

Prosecutor who questioned Ford says evidence against Kavanaugh wouldn’t merit prosecution

Alaska governor to propose legislation after offender receives lenient plea deal for sex crime

St. Louis prosecutor won’t take cases from 28 police officers; union seeks TRO

Percentage of federal weapons prosecutions up sharply under Sessions-led DOJ

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