Prosecutorial misconduct in the Ted Stevens case will apparently allow Stevens to go free:
The Justice Department filed court papers this morning asking a federal judge to toss out the conviction of former senator Ted Stevens (R–Alaska) on corruption charges.
….In a statement, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said he and other Justice lawyers had reviewed the case and “concluded that certain information should have been provided to the defense for use at trial.”
….”The Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility will conduct a thorough review of the prosecution of this matter,” he added. “This does not mean or imply that any determination has been made about the conduct of those attorneys who handled the investigation and trial of this case.”
It’s a shame that Stevens is getting off, since the evidence very strongly suggests that he was guilty. But misconduct by federal prosecutors is far too widespread, and it stays that way because it’s almost never punished by anything more than a tonguelashing. Good for Holder for sending a message that he takes it more seriously than that.
