×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
The Power of the Prosecutor: A Personal Account
by Ashley Sawyer, Campaign for Smart Justice Consultant, ACLU of Vermont
Have you ever watched an episode of “Law & Order”? The creators do an amazing job of dramatizing the court process. The characters playing the prosecutors are always eloquent and passionate as they go toe-to-toe with an indignant defense ...
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Criminal Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- Judge orders Tacoma to pay fines, attorney fees over stingray records, by Dale Chappell
- $150,000 Settlement for Man Beaten by West Virginia State Police
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Conviction for Conspiracy to Smuggle Drugs Based Solely on ‘Drug Courier Profile’, by Christopher Zoukis
- First Circuit Holds Sixth Amendment Speedy Trial Clock Starts Upon Original, Not Superseding, Indictment When Based on Same Act or Scheme, by Dale Chappell
- Texas Woman Receives Five Years in Prison for Illegal Voting After Criminal Conviction, by Derek Gilna
- Ohio Governor Commutes Another Death Sentence
- Nevada Supreme Court Announces Testimony at Probation Revocation Hearing Inadmissible in Later Criminal Proceeding, by Dale Chappell
- Second Circuit Denies NYPD Qualified Immunity for Use of Military-Grade Acoustic Weapon on Peaceful Protesters, by Christopher Zoukis
- Brooklyn, New York’s Top Prosecutor Opens Door for Expungement of Pot Convictions, by Derek Gilna
- West Virginia Legislature Impeaches State Supreme Court Justices for Alleged Misconduct, by Derek Gilna
- News in Brief
- First Circuit Vacates Supervised Release Condition Effectively Prohibiting Contact with His Minor Children, by Matthew Clarke
- U.S. Supreme Court: Defendant Sentenced Pursuant to a Rule 11(c)(1)(C) Plea ‘Generally Eligible’ for Sentence Reduction when Guidelines Retroactivity Reduced, by Christopher Zoukis
- Federal Judge Orders New Orleans Municipal Court System to Reform Money Bail, by Derek Gilna
- D.C. Circuit Holds Generic Appeal Waiver Does Not Bar IAC Claim During Sentencing, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit Affirms $4 Million Verdict for Couple Shot by L.A. County Deputies During Warrantless Entry into Their Home, by Dale Chappell
- Civil Libertarians Concerned About Undisclosed FBI Research into Tattoo Recognition Technology, by Derek Gilna
- U.S. Supreme Court: Plainly Miscalculated Guidelines Range Requires Appellate Court to Vacate Sentence in the Ordinary Case, by Christopher Zoukis
- Indiana Supreme Court Announces Single Act of Resisting Police Bars Multiple Counts, Regardless of Number of Officers Involved or People Killed, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge Rules Cullman County, Alabama, Money Bond System Unconstitutional, by Derek Gilna
- Is a Florida Chief Judge Taking Cues From a Prosecutor?, by Jacqueline Azis, Somil Trivedi
- The Legacy of a Torturer, by Joan Parkin
- Report: Right to Trial Exists in Name. In Reality, Only 3% of Cases Go to Trial, by Steve Horn
- Man Who Lawfully Had Sex with Girlfriend, 17, Could Face Decades in Prison for Taking Sexually Explicit Photos of Her
- Rhode Island Supreme Court Takes on ‘Thorny Issues’ Presented by Sex Offender Registry Laws, by Christopher Zoukis
- $3 Million Federal Court Settlement: Philadelphia Agrees to End Civil Forfeiture, by Derek Gilna
- The Power of the Prosecutor: A Personal Account, by Ashley Sawyer
- Retaliation a Risk When Video Recording Police Brutality, by Kevin Bliss
- How to File a Police Complaint, by Kevin Bliss
- Kansas Supreme Court Holds Prosecutor’s Blatant Lies to Jury During Closing Argument Constituted Prosecutorial Misconduct Requiring Reversal of Murder Convictions, by Dale Chappell
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New Fuzzy Math Clearly Results in Inflated Assault Figures, by Christopher Zoukis
- Federal Judge Orders Accused Hacker to Post Bail in Bitcoin or Other Cryptocurrency, by Derek Gilna
- Maryland Court of Appeals Announces Proper Procedure for In Banc Review, by Dale Chappell
- Do Las Vegas Prosecutors Routinely Ignore Discovery Disclosure Requirements?, by Matthew Clarke
- Fourth Circuit Affirms Ruling That Diagnosis of Intellectual Development Disorder Does Not Qualify as ‘Sexually Dangerous Person’ Under Federal Civil Commitment Statute, by Christopher Zoukis
- Second Circuit Rules Police Not Entitled to Qualified Immunity After Failing to Comply With Terms of Material Witness Warrant, by Kevin Bliss
- Will Groundbreaking California Bail Reform Help or Hinder Defendants’ Likelihood of Pre-Trial Release?, by Betty Nelander
- Tennessee’s Death Penalty Laws Cruel and Arbitrary, by Kevin Bliss
- Massachusetts Supreme Court Holds Seven-Year Delay and Inability to Receive Sex Offender Treatment While Awaiting SDP Trial Violates Due Process, by Dale Chappell
- New Jersey Supreme Court Holds DNA Exception Tolling Statute of Limitations Applies Only to Suspect Directly Identified by DNA, by Dale Chappell
- Texas Supreme Court Interprets State’s Expungement Statute, by David Reutter
- ACLU Sues ‘Crooked’ Public Defender in Georgia, by Edward Lyon
- Pennsylvania Police Use Hate Crime Law Against People Who Verbally Abuse Them, Dramatically Increasing Potential Jail Time, by Kevin Bliss
- Conviction Integrity Units, Innocence Commissions Tackle Wrongful Convictions, Prosecutorial Misconduct, by Steve Horn
- Documents Reveal How Law Enforcement Partners with Private Companies to Surveil Schools, by Steve Horn
More from Ashley Sawyer:
- The Power of the Prosecutor: A Personal Account, Oct. 31, 2018
More from these topics:
- Examining Pro-Prosecution Bias in the Judiciary: Unconscious Biases of a Prosecutorial Background, Feb. 15, 2025. Criminal Prosecution, Juror Bias, Impartial Jury.
- Hawai’i Supreme Court Reverses Murder Conviction for Prosecutorial Misconduct Based on Prosecution’s Improper Statements During Closing Arguments, Feb. 15, 2025. Prosecutors, Wrongful Conviction, Prior Convictions - Expungement or Reversal of, Improper Comment.
- Biden Commutes Sentences of Most Federal Prisoners on Death Row, Jan. 15, 2025. Alternative Sentencing, Death Penalty/Death Row, Resentencing.
- PPI Releases 10th Anniversary Report on Mass Incarceration in the U.S., Nov. 15, 2024. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- Nailing Down “Top Cop” Kamala Harris on Criminal Justice Reform, Oct. 15, 2024. Criminal justice system reform.
- Study Finds That Black Americans Want Both Police Presence and Reform: Looking Beyond the Headlines, Oct. 1, 2024. Criminal justice system reform, Police, Racial Profiling.
- Bruce Johnson 1950–2024, Sept. 15, 2024. Editorials, Criminal justice system reform, Attorneys.
- Massachusetts Prison Closure Reflects Success of Criminal Justice Reforms, Aug. 15, 2024. Criminal justice system reform, Rural Prisons.
- Demonstrable Remorse, Psychiatric Diagnoses, and Alternatives to Incarceration, Aug. 1, 2024. Alternative Sentencing, Mental Health, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Effects of Mass Incarceration.
- California Court of Appeal Explains Qualification for Mental Health Diversion Under Pen. Code § 1001.36, Rules Defendant Qualified for Pretrial Mental Health Diversion, July 15, 2024. Alternative Sentencing, Mental Health.
