EFTA00064766

EFTA00064766 EFTA00064767 EFTA00064768 EFTA00064769 EFTA00064770 EFTA00064771 EFTA00064772 EFTA00064773 EFTA00064774 The Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion NY Law Journal By Joel Cohen 4/8/19 There is a certain type of criminal defendant that doesn't-maybe shouldn't-have any chance whatsoever. Their conduct is undisputed, and so reprehensible, so disturbing, that no prosecutor can possibly keep a totally open mind in choosing to bring the most onerous charges against them. The weight of public opinion and, more important, the facts, are so heavily against them that any prosecutor who has them in their crosshairs simply can't be fully objective, as we ideally might expect them to be. Think Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Kaczynski, El Chapo, John Gotti, Osama bin Laden. While this type of defendant is rare, he or she does surface every now and again. We trust that our prosecutors will resist public outcry and decide whether to bring a case with total objectivity and profession