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A District Attorney's Decision Whether To Seek The Death Penalty: Toward An Improved Process, Jonathan Demay
A District Attorney's Decision Whether To Seek The Death Penalty: Toward An Improved Process, Jonathan Demay
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The most important variable affecting whether a defendant will be subject to the death penalty is often the particular ideology of the district attorney of a respective county. More subtle forms of arbitrariness, such as bias based upon race, gender and class, also pervade the process. Arguing that the dangers inherent in the present situation justify the imposition of controls over the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in the decision whether to seek the death penalty, Part I presents the nature and scope of prosecutorial discretion judicial review of that discretion and the influence that individual prosecutors can have in the …
Working Outside The Rules: The Undefined Responsibilities Of Federal Prosecutors, Laurie L. Levenson
Working Outside The Rules: The Undefined Responsibilities Of Federal Prosecutors, Laurie L. Levenson
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Article discusses the undefined responsibilities of federal prosecutors. For purposes of example, the essay focuses primarily on five situations in which federal prosecutors are often expected to operate "outside" of the rules, including: charging and investigative decisions, discovery, plea bargaining, dealing with the press, and sentencing decisions. While there are "rules" in each of these areas, they take a back seat to the discretionary powers prosecutors are expected to exercise wisely when performing their duties. In judging whether there has been an appropriate exercise of those powers, it is not the rules that will govern society's judgment. Rather, the …