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December 26, 2006
A Trial Is Just A Defendant's Appeal From The Prosecutor's Press Release.
B
ack in my days at the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey, I used to hear a smug saying from a few of my "tougher" prosecutorial colleagues: "A trial is just a defendant's appeal from our press release."
What they meant was that for some defendants, the public announcement of criminal charges did the big and lasting damage. Even an eventual acquittal couldn't undo the effect of the accusation.
Judge Sarokin sees this philosophy afoot in the Duke lacrosse case, and doesn't like what he sees.
Posted by Eric at December 26, 2006 9:16 AM