The criminal justice system in the United States faces serious challenges, including overcriminalization and weaponization. This has resulted in wrongful convictions and excessive sentences, as evidenced by the recent guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump. Prosecutors and judges have abused their power, undermining due process and the presumption of innocence. This behavior jeopardizes the fairness and integrity of the justice system, threatening the liberty of all Americans.
Special counsel Jack Smith has dismissed allegations made by Donald Trump’s lawyer, Stanley Woodward, that a Justice Department official threatened him during a meeting to discuss Trump’s former body man. Smith, in a newly published report, refutes Woodward’s claims, calling them implausible and without merit.
Queens prosecutors have allegedly threatened a key witness in a wrongful conviction case with arrest if she changes her testimony to favor the imprisoned man, Allen Porter. Porter’s legal team has filed a motion, supported by recantations from other witnesses and internal documents, accusing prosecutors and cops of withholding evidence and coercing witnesses. The witness, Vanessa Thomas, claims prosecutors visited her and said she would be charged with perjury if she changed her testimony. This alleged improper arrangement with Thomas is said to have paved the way for Porter’s wrongful conviction in a double murder case from 1991. Porter’s lawyers argue that the threats constitute witness tampering and have requested a hearing to determine the extent of prosecutorial misconduct.
Alec Baldwin’s legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter case against him, accusing the prosecution of abusing its power. The motion argues that the prosecution’s decision to pursue an indictment is unrelated to the public interest and is based on inaccurate information. Baldwin’s lawyers also allege that a misdemeanor plea offer was withdrawn due to the prosecution’s mistaken belief that Baldwin had commissioned a documentary about the Rust shooting.
Prosecutors in Alameda County, California, have been accused of intentionally excluding Black and Jewish jurors in murder trials dating back to the 1990s. The revelation comes from handwritten notes discovered in the case of Earnest Dykes, who was convicted in 1993 of killing a 9-year-old girl. Federal Judge Vince Chhabria has ordered a review of dozens of death penalty convictions in the county, as prosecutors are suspected of engaging in a pattern of serious misconduct. The Alameda County District Attorney’s office has identified 35 death penalty cases going back to 1977 that will be reviewed, and the scope may expand to include other cases if additional issues are discovered.
A federal judge has ordered a review of all death penalty cases in Alameda County over concerns of prosecutorial misconduct. The investigation stems from evidence of potential bias in the case of Earnest Dykes, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 1993. Allegations suggest that Black and Jewish jurors may have been excluded from the jury in an attempt to secure a more favorable outcome. Alameda County DA Pamela Price has initiated a comprehensive review of all 35 existing death penalty cases, emphasizing the importance of addressing unethical behavior and upholding constitutional principles.
Thirty-five death penalty cases in Alameda County are under review after prosecutors were accused of intentionally excluding Black and Jewish people from juries. The bombshell investigation began with the case of Ernest Dykes, who was sentenced to death in 1995 for murdering a landlord’s grandson and shooting the victim’s mother. Old handwritten notes reveal a strategy to exclude certain demographic groups from the jury pool, potentially violating defendants’ rights to fair trials. The review could lead to re-sentencings or retrials for convicted murderers.
The Oregon Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction of a man accused of murdering and burning the body of his girlfriend. The court found that the prosecutor’s remarks during closing arguments deprived the defendant of a fair trial.
