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Full-Text Articles in Law
Undue Influence: A Prosecutor’S Role In Parole Proceedings, R. Michael Cassidy
Undue Influence: A Prosecutor’S Role In Parole Proceedings, R. Michael Cassidy
R. Michael Cassidy
Professor Cassidy explores what it means for a prosecutor to act as a “minister of justice” in the context of parole proceedings. He argues that prosecutors should not perceive themselves as zealous advocates in what is essentially an administrative setting, and that prosecutors should not oppose release simply because they believe that the nature and circumstances of the crime warrant continued incarceration. Rather, Cassidy argues that prosecutors ordinarily should refrain from personally testifying at parole hearings, and should submit written comments to the parole board only in those rare situations where the prosecutor is in possession of otherwise unavailable information …
The Grand Jury: A Shield Of A Different Sort, R. Michael Cassidy, Julian A. Cook Iii
The Grand Jury: A Shield Of A Different Sort, R. Michael Cassidy, Julian A. Cook Iii
R. Michael Cassidy
According to the Washington Post, 991 people were shot to death by police officers in the United States during calendar year 2015, and 957 people were fatally shot in 2016. A disproportionate percentage of the citizens killed in these police-civilian encounters were black. Events in Ferguson, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Charlotte, North Carolina; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Staten Island, New York - to name but a few affected cities - have now exposed deep distrust between communities of color and law enforcement. Greater transparency is necessary to begin to heal this culture of distrust and to inform the debate going forward …
Sentencing Reform: The Power Of Reasons, R. Michael Cassidy, Robert L. Ullmann
Sentencing Reform: The Power Of Reasons, R. Michael Cassidy, Robert L. Ullmann
R. Michael Cassidy
No abstract provided.
Silencing Grand Jury Witnesses, R. Michael Cassidy
Silencing Grand Jury Witnesses, R. Michael Cassidy
R. Michael Cassidy
The investigations of local police officers for causing the deaths of unarmed civilians in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island, New York have generated significant national discourse about the fairness and transparency of grand jury proceedings. This article addresses one crucial aspect of this ongoing debate; that is, whether witnesses before the grand jury should be allowed to talk to each other and to the media about the contents of their testimony. In the federal system and in the majority of states that still employ the grand jury as an investigative and charging tool, obligations of grand jury secrecy do not …
(Ad)Ministering Justice: A Prosecutor's Ethical Duty To Support Sentencing Reform, R. Michael Cassidy
(Ad)Ministering Justice: A Prosecutor's Ethical Duty To Support Sentencing Reform, R. Michael Cassidy
R. Michael Cassidy
This article stakes out an ethical argument in favor of prosecutorial leadership on sentencing reform. Prosecutors have a duty as “ministers of justice” to go beyond seeking appropriate conviction and punishment in individual cases, and to think about the delivery of criminal justice on a systemic level ― promoting criminal justice policies that further broader societal ends. While other authors have explored the tensions between a prosecutor’s adversarial duties and “minister of justice” role in the context of specific litigation, few have explored what it means to be an “administer” of justice in the wider political arena. The author sets …
The Prosecutor And The Press: Lessons (Not) Learned From The Mike Nifong Debacle, R. Michael Cassidy
The Prosecutor And The Press: Lessons (Not) Learned From The Mike Nifong Debacle, R. Michael Cassidy
R. Michael Cassidy
Using the Mike Nifong disciplinary case in North Carolina as a focal point, the author examines the disciplinary rules pertaining to public speech by attorneys during the pendency of an adjudicatory proceeding. The author argues that in light of the Supreme Court’s 2002 decision in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, certain provisions of Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 3.6 and 3.8, may violate the first amendment, at least as applied to an elected prosecutor speaking during a political campaign. While former District Attorney Nifong made several statements to the media during the so-called “Duke Lacrosse” investigation that were …