Prosecutors

Texas prosecutor is fired after an Uber driver claims she slapped and berated him

An assistant district attorney in Dallas County, Texas, has been fired after an Uber driver alleged she slapped his shoulder and called him an idiot when he was taking her home late Friday night. Jody Warner had worked in the unit prosecuting crimes against children, the Dallas Morning News reports.…

Nov 14, 2017 10:22 AM CST

New York courts remind prosecutors to show their evidence

More than 50 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Brady v. Maryland that prosecutors must hand over evidence to defendants that could help them at trial. Yet “Brady violations,” as they’re known — instances when the prosecution doesn’t turn over this material — continue to drive wrongful convictions. Thirty-eight…

Nov 10, 2017 12:45 PM CST

Law prof asks if US attorney’s ouster is new ‘Saturday Night Massacre’ setup; senator wants answers

The resignation of U.S. Attorney Dana Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia has led to speculation by a Harvard law professor and a demand by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., for answers.

Nov 9, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Indiana prosecutor suspended 4 years for eavesdropping on attorney-client conversations

An Indiana prosecutor has been suspended for four years, without automatic reinstatement, for eavesdropping on conversations between lawyers and two men being held in death investigations. The Indiana Supreme Court suspended Robert Neary, the chief deputy prosecutor in LaPorte County, in a Nov. 6 opinion (PDF), report NWI.com and the…

Nov 7, 2017 1:42 PM CST

DA in New York is accused of obstructing probe into beating of suspect by former police chief

Updated: Suffolk County, New York, District Attorney Thomas Spota has been charged with obstructing an investigation into the beating of a suspect by the county’s then-police chief. Spota and his chief of investigations, Christopher McPartland, were charged in an indictment announced Wednesday, according to the New York Law Journal (sub.…

Oct 26, 2017 9:15 AM CDT

Former Philadelphia DA gets 5-year sentence after guilty plea

Former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a single count relating to accepting bribes. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond told Williams he had sold his office to “parasites” and humiliated employees in the DA’s office, report the Associated…

Oct 25, 2017 9:06 AM CDT

Assistant prosecutors aren’t protected from political firings, 4th Circuit rules

Assistant prosecutors are policymakers who have no First Amendment protection against patronage dismissals, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday in a fired prosecutor’s suit against Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the Baltimore Sun reports. The fired prosecutor, Keri Borzilleri,…

Oct 19, 2017 3:20 PM CDT

Manhattan DA Vance had declined to prosecute Weinstein in 2015

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. declined to prosecute Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2015 after a model claimed he lunged at her, groped her breasts and tried put his hand up her skirt during a visit to his office.

Oct 11, 2017 10:52 AM CDT

DA returns campaign contribution from Trump lawyer after reporters ask about dropped condo probe

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has returned a $32,000 campaign contribution made by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer after journalists asked about the prosecutor’s decision to drop a probe into sales of units at the Trump SoHo condominium-hotel. Vance, a Democrat, tells the New York Times there was no connection…

Oct 5, 2017 8:38 AM CDT

Federal judge orders Aaron Schock prosecutors to review all court filings for inaccuracies

Federal prosecutors must review all their court filings in the fraud case against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock to determine whether they made any false or misleading assertions after admitting a previous inaccuracy, according to the Illinois federal judge overseing the case. U.S. District Judge Colin Bruce of Urbana issued…

Oct 4, 2017 12:12 PM CDT

Texas DMV cancels DA’s ‘Hang Em’ license plates

A district attorney in Texas will lose his “Hang Em” specialty license plates after the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles concluded they could be objectionable to the public. Fannin County District Attorney Richard Glaser says he has had the plates for 35 years, KXII reports. He got the idea partly…

Sep 13, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Only one of Trump’s US Attorney nominees is a woman

President Donald Trump has so far nominated 42 lawyers to fill the spots vacated by U.S. Attorney resignations, including 46 U.S. attorneys asked to step down by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in March. Only one of the nominees is a woman, BuzzFeed News reports. The female nominee is Jessie Liu,…

Sep 11, 2017 5:12 PM CDT

Elected Florida prosecutor discontinues her policy against pursuing the death penalty

The elected chief prosecutor for the Orlando area has reversed her ban on seeking the death penalty, the Orlando Sentinel reported Friday. The announcement from State Attorney Aramis Ayala, who represents Florida’s Orange and Osceola Counties, came one day after the Florida Supreme Court ruled (PDF) against Ayala. She had…

Sep 5, 2017 2:42 PM CDT

With an eye toward reform, new website teaches people about California’s district attorneys

Updated: Prosecutors in California are about to receive a lot more mail.

Aug 24, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Penn State frat prosecutor faces ethics hearing over fake Facebook page, texts to judges

A Pennsylvania prosecutor faces an ethics hearing over allegations of improper texting contacts with judges and a fake Facebook page. The hearing for Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller is scheduled for Nov. 29, report the Associated Press and the Centre Daily Times. Parks Miller won’t be running for…

Aug 22, 2017 7:00 AM CDT