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The Hyde Amendment And Prosecutorial Investigation: The Promise Of Protection For Criminal Defendants, Lynn R. Singband
The Hyde Amendment And Prosecutorial Investigation: The Promise Of Protection For Criminal Defendants, Lynn R. Singband
Fordham Urban Law Journal
This Comment first describes federal prosecutors' broad charging discretion and the resulting potential for abuse. It then discusses how current interpretations of the Hyde Amendment have failed to establish a standard of conduct for federal prosecutors different from that established by preexisting laws, internal regulations, and ethics rules. Finally, it argues that the Hyde Amendment offers the courts an important opportunity to issue opinions detailing how federal prosecutors should exercise their charging discretion. This Comment concludes that courts should take advantage of this opportunity to establish a more exact standard of conduct for prosecutors conducting investigations and thereby offer defendants …
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 …
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 …
A Moral Standard For The Prosecutor's Exercise Of The Charging Discretion, Bennett L. Gershman
A Moral Standard For The Prosecutor's Exercise Of The Charging Discretion, Bennett L. Gershman
Fordham Urban Law Journal
The prosecutor's decision to institute criminal charges is the broadest and least regulated power in American criminal law. The judicial deference shown to prosecutors generally is most noticeable with respect to the charging function. This Essay discusses three hypothetical cases that present both realistic and recurring challenges to the prosecutor's charging power. The first case depends on a factual determination of a witness's reliability. The second case depends on a factual determination of the witness's truthfulness. The third case revolves around a legal determination regarding the applicability of a defense. Together, these cases provide a setting in which a moral …