Special prosecutor subpoenas reporters who said grand jury recommended charges against state AG

A special prosecutor investigating Pennsylvania’s attorney general has subpoenaed two reporters for the Philadelphia Inquirer to appear before a grand jury in Norristown. The subpoenas seek to find out the names of the unidentified sources relied on by Craig McCoy and Angela Couloumbis in reporting that a grand jury had…

Jan 13, 2015 1:10 PM CST

Boy, 9, is arrested for failure to appear on gum-stealing charge; prosecutor regrets ‘mistake’

An Idaho prosecutor is expressing regret after his office issued an arrest warrant for a 9-year-old boy who twice failed to appear in court on a charge of stealing a pack of gum. Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh issued a statement saying his office’s decision to issue an arrest…

Jan 13, 2015 6:43 AM CST

Federal judge sanctions prosecutor’s office for bad faith in police misconduct case

A federal judge has sanctioned a former assistant state prosecutor and her office for bad faith in connection with a Chicago police misconduct case. At issue were files maintained by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office concerning misdemeanor arrests of a Chicago man that he and his lawyer sought to…

Jan 12, 2015 1:50 PM CST

Ex-prosecutor accused of selling confidential info and his influence, due to drug addiction

Suffering from “severe financial strain” as a result of an addiction to oxycodone pills, a Massachusetts prosecutor traded confidential information from his office for the drug and took $1,500 from a woman who was trying to get her son’s commercial driving privileges restored, authorities say. Arraigned Friday in Middlesex Superior…

Jan 9, 2015 10:40 AM CST

Famed trial lawyer Sanford Rubenstein will not be charged with rape

Famed litigator Sanford Rubenstein will not be charged with rape, the Manhattan District Attorney announced. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance has decided not to prosecute Rubenstein for rape allegations brought by an official in the Rev. Al Sharpton ’s National Action Network. Rubenstein will…

Jan 6, 2015 4:38 PM CST

Brooklyn DA seeks to have murder conviction vacated for man who served 20 years

Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced he will seek to vacate the murder conviction of a man who served 20 years in prison. The New York Daily News reported Monday that Thompson has been persuaded by scientific and ballistic evidence that exonerates Derrick Hamilton, a man that was convicted for…

Jan 6, 2015 11:07 AM CST

Public was misled about Ferguson grand jury proceedings, according to federal complaint

A member of the Missouri grand jury assigned to consider Michael Brown’s police shooting death wants to speak publicly about the proceedings and has filed a federal complaint against the prosecutor who handled the case. The group, which decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting, was…

Jan 5, 2015 4:15 PM CST

It’s unethical for prosecutors to allow debt collectors to use official letterhead, says ABA opinion

Jan 1, 2015 2:40 AM CST

Prosecutor’s recitation of ‘Dixie’ leads to overturned conviction

An Idaho appeals court has overturned the conviction of an African American defendant because the prosecutor recited lines from Dixie in her rebuttal closing argument. The Dec. 19 decision (PDF) said defendant James Kirk’s due process and equal protection rights were violated by reference to the song, described by the…

Dec 31, 2014 7:57 AM CST

Woman pleads guilty in prosecutor revenge murders; she testified against husband, a former lawyer

A Texas woman pleaded guilty on Tuesday to helping her husband carry out the murders of a Kaufman County district attorney, his wife and an assistant district attorney. Kim Williams, 48, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, report CBS DFW, NBC DFW, Reuters,…

Dec 30, 2014 9:55 AM CST

Now-retired justice’s pornographic emails were only impropriety found in special counsel’s report

Raunchy emails between the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office and the state’s top court involved only messages sent by one justice on a personal account to at least one OAG employee, an appellate lawyer appointed as special counsel to look into the matter has found. Seamus McCaffery was that one justice.…

Dec 22, 2014 12:51 PM CST

Some Ferguson grand jury witnesses clearly lied, says prosecutor who allowed their testimony

Some witnesses before the grand jury considering charges against Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson were “clearly not telling the truth,” according to the prosecutor who allowed them to testify. In an interview with KTRS 550, St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said he doesn’t regret his decision to allow…

Dec 22, 2014 7:28 AM CST

Former top drug prosecutor is sentenced for child porn, fleeing

A former top drug prosecutor in Maine was sentenced on Wednesday to nearly 16 years in prison for possessing child pornography and fleeing the state after an adverse appellate ruling in his case. James Cameron, 52, was sentenced after apologizing for his conduct, report the Associated Press, CentralMaine.com and the…

Dec 18, 2014 12:02 PM CST

Ex-lawyer gets death in murder of DA’s wife; judge compares him to Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer

Disagreement by just one of 12 jurors would have prevented Eric Lyle Williams from getting the death penalty. But after less than a half-day of deliberation, all agreed Wednesday that the former justice of the peace should get the ultimate punishment for shooting to death the wife of a Texas…

Dec 17, 2014 2:10 PM CST

DA blasts AG for saying corruption case against lawmakers shouldn’t be prosecuted

In a corruption case against two Pennsylvania lawmakers, it’s the prosecutors who are making headlines. Philadelphia’s district attorney, Seth Williams, blasted the state attorney general, Kathleen Kane, for saying that a corruption case he announced Tuesday was flawed and racially biased and shouldn’t be prosecuted, the Morning Call, the Philadelphia…

Dec 17, 2014 12:15 PM CST