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Old 03-13-2008, 10:49 AM   #35 (permalink)
loquitur
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Location: NYC
yeah, the ones YOU think need to be prosecuted.

I have a healthy fear of and respect for prosecutors and prosecutorial discretion, Will. You should read Title 18 of the US Code one day. It will send a chill of fear down your spine to see how much is illegal and how easy it is to catch just about anyone on some violation or other. A huge part of the reason this isn't a police state is that the DOJ and other law enforcement agencies have guidelines for exercising their discretion as to where the enforcement resources get used and under what circumstances.

I once was able to talk a US Attorney's Office and a division of the DOJ out of prosecuting a client - but let me tell you, it was a real nail biter for a while, and the guy who was suing my client hired a well-connected law firm to lobby for a prosecution. It turns out that I persuaded them that what my client did wasn't a crime. But it's very clear that this is a serious power that the govt has, and it has to be exercised wisely. It isn't always. The thought of converting it into a political tool is a horror.
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