Local News: Norcross, GA 

 | 

Sign Up

 | 

Sign In

Advertisment

Nov 4, 2009 | Posted by: Maria Antonia

Can Prosecutors Be Sued By People They Framed?

Full story: www.npr.org

Do prosecutors have total immunity from lawsuits for anything they do, including framing someone for murder? That is the question the justices of the Supreme Court face Wednesday.

Read All 25 Comments

Comments

Showing posts 1 - 20 of25
< prev page
|
Go to last post| Jump to page:
gallowglass

Canton, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#1
Nov 4, 2009
 
Welcome to the American system of law, I did not say justice because that is not available to us from our court system, prosecutors act with recklees abandon because they are no legally responsible for their actions. They are not interested in right or wrong only getting a conviction for their win/loss record. If Harrington wants "justice" he will have to get it on his own.
Chris

De Queen, AR

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#2
Nov 4, 2009
 
prosecutors have one interest what best for their career.influnce an wealth determine what is right.
DOWN

Marietta, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#3
Nov 5, 2009
 
Gallowglass is exactly right. Our so called "justice system" has been nothing but a joke and a failure for hundreds of years yet our government continues to let it fail. It is very simple. To get what you want in law, you only need one thing.$$$$$$$$$

“The Constitution Rocks !!”

Since: Sep 09

Atlanta

ISP: Lawrenceville, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#4
Nov 6, 2009
 
This will be an interesting case to follow. I believe this happens a lot more than comes out. If I were the person framed I would take the legal avenue's I could but at the end of the day. Everyone would pay. Everyone. There is no immunity that would let them get away with this.

“Obongohead Loves You!”

Since: Nov 07

Atlanta, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#5
Nov 6, 2009
 

Judged:

1

Prosecutors advance their careers by putting people in jail and prison. Protecting the innocent from malicious prosecution is not a priority and it will not enhance a resume. The pursuit of justice is an afterthought at most.

The electorate (stupid dumbasses that the are) are impressed by tough judges and DA's that is until they are a loved one gets on the receiving end of the judicial monster they helped to create.

“The Constitution Rocks !!”

Since: Sep 09

Atlanta

ISP: Lawrenceville, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#6
Nov 7, 2009
 
Luek wrote:
Prosecutors advance their careers by putting people in jail and prison. Protecting the innocent from malicious prosecution is not a priority and it will not enhance a resume. The pursuit of justice is an afterthought at most.
The electorate (stupid dumbasses that the are) are impressed by tough judges and DA's that is until they are a loved one gets on the receiving end of the judicial monster they helped to create.
Luek
Sadly you are correct. They damage people for life, take all you have ,just to help themselves. I'm amazed more people don't hunt them down like the animals they are and take matters into their own hands.
Grob Hahn

Smyrna, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#7
Nov 7, 2009
 
kenstepp wrote:
This will be an interesting case to follow. I believe this happens a lot more than comes out. If I were the person framed I would take the legal avenue's I could but at the end of the day. Everyone would pay. Everyone. There is no immunity that would let them get away with this.
I agree absolutely. When law enforcement at ANY level uses the law illegally they must be punished with great severity for violating the public trust and ruining people's lives needlessly. Since the law seems to be failing us on this issue, I agree entirely that citizen vigilantes should provide adequate punishment that ruins the offending official's life equally. We have to take America back 1 crook at a time I guess.
Grobbbbbbbbbbb

“Obongohead Loves You!”

Since: Nov 07

Roswell, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#8
Nov 7, 2009
 
Grob Hahn wrote:
<quoted text>
I agree absolutely. When law enforcement at ANY level uses the law illegally they must be punished with great severity for violating the public trust and ruining people's lives needlessly. Since the law seems to be failing us on this issue, I agree entirely that citizen vigilantes should provide adequate punishment that ruins the offending official's life equally. We have to take America back 1 crook at a time I guess.
Grobbbbbbbbbbb
The worst that will happen to them will be what happened to Nifong in North Carolina when he tried to railroad those 3 young frat boys into prison over a false rape accusation by an alcoholic prostitute. Unfortunately, for him he picked victims that had the financial resources to fight back. He was sentenced to ONE DAY in jail and lost his state job. Oh boo hoo! People lose jobs every day and serve a lot more than one day in jail over trivial matters. Could we say the "fix" was in for Nifong?

“The Constitution Rocks !!”

Since: Sep 09

Atlanta

ISP: Lawrenceville, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#9
Nov 7, 2009
 
Grob Hahn wrote:
<quoted text>
I agree absolutely. When law enforcement at ANY level uses the law illegally they must be punished with great severity for violating the public trust and ruining people's lives needlessly. Since the law seems to be failing us on this issue, I agree entirely that citizen vigilantes should provide adequate punishment that ruins the offending official's life equally. We have to take America back 1 crook at a time I guess.
Grobbbbbbbbbbb
Grob
Be careful putting law enforcement in the same category with a DA or other elected official. The LEO's didn't run for office ,do not maintain their position through lies and deceit on the backs of others. There are other agencies that can step in when a DA gets out of control. Independent investigations go on all the time behind the scenes. There have been DA's prosecuted and will be more. They get caught up in their own self importance. They mangle lives without thought of their victims. I no of only a couple of police officers like that. And know many. Your right ,the citizens need to let these people know they won't get away with the damage they do. It takes time to investigate them and it is always kept quiet until they are charged. Very quiet.
Grob Hahn

Smyrna, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#10
Nov 7, 2009
 
kenstepp wrote:
<quoted text>Grob
Be careful putting law enforcement in the same category with a DA or other elected official. The LEO's didn't run for office ,do not maintain their position through lies and deceit on the backs of others. There are other agencies that can step in when a DA gets out of control. Independent investigations go on all the time behind the scenes. There have been DA's prosecuted and will be more. They get caught up in their own self importance. They mangle lives without thought of their victims. I no of only a couple of police officers like that. And know many. Your right ,the citizens need to let these people know they won't get away with the damage they do. It takes time to investigate them and it is always kept quiet until they are charged. Very quiet.
Regardless of appointed/elected status we look to ALL of these people to have integrity and operate their position with honesty and a sense of service to the entire community. Any one of them who forms a private agenda has let us all down.
Grobbbbbbbbbbbb

“The Constitution Rocks !!”

Since: Sep 09

Atlanta

ISP: Lawrenceville, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#11
Nov 7, 2009
 
Grob Hahn wrote:
<quoted text>
Regardless of appointed/elected status we look to ALL of these people to have integrity and operate their position with honesty and a sense of service to the entire community. Any one of them who forms a private agenda has let us all down.
Grobbbbbbbbbbbb
Grob
I agree. My only point is its seldom an officer. Think of all the times an officer and a citizen meet for what ever reason. Most of the time the law is followed to the tee. But with an elected official. Not so much. That was my point. But your right. Take and follow your oath or don't run for the job.
Ocean56

AOL

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#12
Nov 8, 2009
 
gallowglass wrote:
Welcome to the American system of law, I did not say justice because that is not available to us from our court system, prosecutors act with recklees abandon because they are no legally responsible for their actions. They are not interested in right or wrong only getting a conviction for their win/loss record. If Harrington wants "justice" he will have to get it on his own.
Very true, unfortunately. NO prosecutor should be allowed to deliberately frame someone for murder when he/she KNOWS the person accused did NOT do the crime. If and when they commit such heinous acts of prosecutorial misconduct, they should not only be sued but stripped of their law licenses and prosecuted for criminal conduct as well.

Just as with cops who have been proven to be guilty of criminal acts, the same must apply to prosecutors and judges. Until that happens, citizens will continue to lose their trust of the INjustice system.
Ocean56

AOL

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#13
Nov 8, 2009
 
Luek wrote:
Prosecutors advance their careers by putting people in jail and prison. Protecting the innocent from malicious prosecution is not a priority and it will not enhance a resume. The pursuit of justice is an afterthought at most.
The electorate (stupid dumbasses that the are) are impressed by tough judges and DA's that is until they are a loved one gets on the receiving end of the judicial monster they helped to create.
This is 100% accurate, and anyone who believes they could never be wrongly prosecuted and imprisoned when they are in fact innocent of a crime is seriously mistaken.

“The Constitution Rocks !!”

Since: Sep 09

Atlanta

ISP: Lawrenceville, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#14
Nov 8, 2009
 
Ocean56 wrote:
<quoted text>
Very true, unfortunately. NO prosecutor should be allowed to deliberately frame someone for murder when he/she KNOWS the person accused did NOT do the crime. If and when they commit such heinous acts of prosecutorial misconduct, they should not only be sued but stripped of their law licenses and prosecuted for criminal conduct as well.
Just as with cops who have been proven to be guilty of criminal acts, the same must apply to prosecutors and judges. Until that happens, citizens will continue to lose their trust of the INjustice system.
Ocean
I agree with everything you said. The laws they break in these cases are federal law. That means they are accountable. To prosecute a DA it usually takes more than one case. They must show a pattern. That the unofficial version. It seems once they start crossing lines their boundaries start to relax and other lines start falling. There have been many DA's prosecuted. My hope and belief is there will be many more. They start believing they are the law instead of the oath they took. Arrogance ,self importance , a Teflon mentality, and narcissism sets in. Then they mess up. All the way. Drugs ,sex ,rock and roll. And people refuse to believe it till the day they are indicted. Then they all say "I knew he was crooked". Sheeple are funny.
Ocean56

AOL

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#15
Nov 9, 2009
 
kenstepp wrote:
<quoted text>Ocean
I agree with everything you said. The laws they break in these cases are federal law. That means they are accountable. To prosecute a DA it usually takes more than one case. They must show a pattern. That the unofficial version. It seems once they start crossing lines their boundaries start to relax and other lines start falling. There have been many DA's prosecuted. My hope and belief is there will be many more. They start believing they are the law instead of the oath they took. Arrogance ,self importance , a Teflon mentality, and narcissism sets in. Then they mess up. All the way. Drugs ,sex ,rock and roll. And people refuse to believe it till the day they are indicted. Then they all say "I knew he was crooked". Sheeple are funny.
Kenstepp, I agree with what you've said here. Although this thread specifically covers lawbreaking prosecutors, there has been a great deal of concern over judges who break the rules of law as well, in order to achieve a specific outcome, either in a civil or criminal case. Judges need to be held accountable as well, whether they break state or federal statutes. Each state has some form of disciplinary commission for judges, which often are useless because the judges serving on them cover up for each other and refuse to investigate complaints.

But to my knowledge there are NO such commissions for prosecutors at all, and to me that is a glaring oversight. The prosecutor is the one with the MOST power at the city, state and federal level. He/she is the person who decides which cases to prosecute, and as such, all prosecutors have a duty to the people they serve to use this power wisely and responsibly.

I have often thought that if such commissions or committees are to be fully effective, they should NOT be heavily represented by either judges or prosecutors. From what I have seen, these supposed "self-regulating" commissions have done a lousy job, and have left corrupt officials in power when the corrupt ones should have been quickly removed from their offices. Average citizens have the power to elect presidents, governors and other public officials at elections, so why couldn't we (average citizens) be trusted to serve on committees that look into complaints against either prosecutors or judges? Until something is done that really WORKS, citizens who have been wrongly convicted will continue to have no recourse at all, and that is not a just or responsible criminal justice system at all.

“The Constitution Rocks !!”

Since: Sep 09

Atlanta

ISP: Lawrenceville, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#16
Nov 9, 2009
 
Ocean

I agree with what you've said here. Although this thread specifically covers lawbreaking prosecutors, there has been a great deal of concern over judges who break the rules of law as well, in order to achieve a specific outcome, either in a civil or criminal case. Judges need to be held accountable as well, whether they break state or federal statutes. Each state has some form of disciplinary commission for judges, which often are useless because the judges serving on them cover up for each other and refuse to investigate complaints.Ocean
You're right. There is not enough oversight for Prosecutors. Judges do have some built in depending on what entity they serve in. The FBI has a Public Corruption Department. I have worked with them personally. They are very good and kept very quiet because of the type cases they investigate. The feds have their own prosecutors. It takes years of investigations to bring down a prosecutor. It has too because of the backlash when one is indicted. Every case that may have hair on it wants a new trial. Many times a lot of people get their cases overturned quickly. I've seen corruption first hand. Its almost as if the offending prosecutor doesn't really understand what they have become. They cross the lines for another notch on a belt that doesn't need a notch. Its pure narcissism. They will destroy a life to do a favor ,for vengeance ,or to prove how powerful they are. Its that "I am the man" mentality that gets them every time. I believe you are going to see more prosecutors in trouble in the near future.
But to my knowledge there are NO such commissions for prosecutors at all, and to me that is a glaring oversight. The prosecutor is the one with the MOST power at the city, state and federal level. He/she is the person who decides which cases to prosecute, and as such, all prosecutors have a duty to the people they serve to use this power wisely and responsibly.
I have often thought that if such commissions or committees are to be fully effective, they should NOT be heavily represented by either judges or prosecutors. From what I have seen, these supposed "self-regulating" commissions have done a lousy job, and have left corrupt officials in power when the corrupt ones should have been quickly removed from their offices. Average citizens have the power to elect presidents, governors and other public officials at elections, so why couldn't we (average citizens) be trusted to serve on committees that look into complaints against either prosecutors or judges? Until something is done that really WORKS, citizens who have been wrongly convicted will continue to have no recourse at all, and that is not a just or responsible criminal justice system at all.
Ocean56

AOL

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#17
Nov 9, 2009
 
kenstepp wrote:
You're right. There is not enough oversight for Prosecutors. Judges do have some built in depending on what entity they serve in. The FBI has a Public Corruption Department. I have worked with them personally. They are very good and kept very quiet because of the type cases they investigate. The feds have their own prosecutors. It takes years of investigations to bring down a prosecutor. It has too because of the backlash when one is indicted. Every case that may have hair on it wants a new trial. Many times a lot of people get their cases overturned quickly. I've seen corruption first hand. Its almost as if the offending prosecutor doesn't really understand what they have become. They cross the lines for another notch on a belt that doesn't need a notch. Its pure narcissism. They will destroy a life to do a favor ,for vengeance ,or to prove how powerful they are. Its that "I am the man" mentality that gets them every time. I believe you are going to see more prosecutors in trouble in the near future.
I hope so, Kenstepp. The so-called "sentence" Mike Nifong got, only ONE day in jail, was a total joke, nothing more than a slap on the wrist. For what he tried to do to the three Duke players, he should have done at least three to six MONTHS. There are far too many prosecutors all across the country who commit egregious acts of prosecutorial misconduct, and they do it because they KNOW that even if they do get caught, the odds of their being held accountable professionally or criminally are slim to none. As a citizen who is tired of seeing prosecutors abuse their power any way they want to get a conviction, I think it is high time that changed.
The Sage version 2

Marietta, GA

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#18
Nov 9, 2009
 
Ocean56 wrote:
<quoted text>
I hope so, Kenstepp. The so-called "sentence" Mike Nifong got, only ONE day in jail, was a total joke, nothing more than a slap on the wrist. For what he tried to do to the three Duke players, he should have done at least three to six MONTHS. There are far too many prosecutors all across the country who commit egregious acts of prosecutorial misconduct, and they do it because they KNOW that even if they do get caught, the odds of their being held accountable professionally or criminally are slim to none. As a citizen who is tired of seeing prosecutors abuse their power any way they want to get a conviction, I think it is high time that changed.
I wonder if Paul Howard will get anytime for railroading Officer Bunn??
Jack

High Shoals, NC

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#19
Nov 9, 2009
 
Careful, Obammy is watching you!!!
Atticus Finch

Syracuse, NY

|
Report Abuse
|
Judge it!
|
#20
Nov 9, 2009
 
The Sage version 2 wrote:
<quoted text>
I wonder if Paul Howard will get anytime for railroading Officer Bunn??
If Ray can show that he did not shoot Corey then yeah, sure.
Sign up to receive email when someone responds
(registration is not required)
Showing posts 1 - 20 of25
< prev page
|
Go to last post| Jump to page:
Type in your comments to post to the forum
Name
(appears on your post)
Comments
Type the numbers you see in the image on the right:

Please note by clicking on "Post Comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator. Send us your feedback.

Local Sponsors

Become a Local Sponsor today!

Put a lid on it

Get your topix hats, t-shirts & more!

Shop our store now!

Powered by Krillion

Cars [ See all ]
Mortgages [ See current mortgage rates ]
Apartments [ See all ]

Norcross People Search

Addresses and phone numbers for FREE

Norcross News, Events & Info

Click for news, events and info in Norcross

Daily Horoscope for December 26

Cancer

Mercury turning retro is offering you the chance to make sweeping and long-lasting changes to your life, and to clear the ground for some fertile growth in 2010. Lawyers and legal matters, debates, contract negotiations, partnership or other alliances, and joint ventures of any kind need attention. As a Cancerian you don't like endings, but you must now bring an end to any situation or relationship that is holding you back or has passed its sell-by date. Look forward, not back, if you want a glittering future.

Get your Horoscope »