Mexico's special prosecutor says FEADLE is improving, but impunity continues

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Special Prosecutor

Special Prosecutor

2012 ◽  
pp. 235-242
Author(s):  
Michael F. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Special Prosecutor

No Man Is above the Law

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Mary E. Adkins
Keyword(s):  
Attorney General ◽  
Richard Nixon ◽  
Special Prosecutor ◽  
The Law ◽  
Bar Association

President Richard Nixon, hounded by Watergate-related pressures, reacted by trying to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was leading the Watergate investigation. That attempt resulted in not only Cox’s firing but also in the resignation of the attorney general and deputy attorney general. Chesterfield Smith, American Bar Association (ABA)president, quickly issued a statement condemning the action and declaring that no man, not even the president, was above the law. His was one of the first “establishment” voices to condemn the president’s acts; many in the ABA condemned Smith rather than Nixon. Smith found himself a national figure and, to some, a hero.

A New Balance

2019 ◽  
pp. 87-108
Author(s):  
Andrew Coan
Keyword(s):  
Task Force ◽  
Attorney General ◽  
Clinton Administration ◽  
American People ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Political Pressure ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Russian Government ◽  
Political Incentives ◽  
Special Prosecutor

After the ordeal of Bill Clinton’s impeachment, few wished to resurrect a strongly independent special prosecutor. But nor did anyone wish to return to the wholly unregulated approach of the previous era. Was there not some middle ground? In the waning days of the Clinton administration, Attorney General Janet Reno convened a task force to answer this question. For nearly twenty years, the intricate rules this group drafted went largely untested. Then Donald Trump was elected president. This chapter recounts the drafting of these rules and the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate allegations of collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government. Political pressure forced Trump to acquiesce in Mueller’s appointment. This gave Trump and his allies powerful political incentives to attack Mueller, which they did with ruthless ferocity. For special prosecutors, this is the norm. For the American people, it is cause for intense vigilance.

A Special Kind of Prosecutor

2019 ◽  
pp. 7-20
Author(s):  
Andrew Coan
Keyword(s):  
Special Kind ◽  
American People ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
The Public ◽  
Strong Incentive ◽  
Criminal Charges ◽  
Special Prosecutor ◽  
The Law ◽  
Constitutional System

This chapter explains the unique role that special prosecutors play in the American constitutional system. Their job is to ensure that even the highest government officials are not above the law. They do this by investigating and prosecuting alleged wrongdoing by the president and his close associates. To carry out this difficult charge, special prosecutors are granted the same formal powers as ordinary federal prosecutors, with one crucially important difference. For special prosecutors, the power to investigate and authorize criminal charges is confined to particular persons or suspected crimes. This difference has profound implications for the conduct of special prosecutor investigations. Most important, it places special prosecutors squarely in the public spotlight. That gives the president’s allies a strong incentive to discredit special prosecutors. It also enables the public to hold the president accountable. Only if the American people take this responsibility seriously can special prosecutors function effectively.

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