The issue of prosecutors failing to share discovery material is nothing new. But when the issue blew up for the Justice Department in the case of ex-Sen. Ted Stevens, something had to be done to show the Justice Department was responding. Will this additional training do the trick? Who knows. But at minimum, it’s a good act of faith.
Joe Palazzolo
Legal Times
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. on Tuesday said he would require additional training for prosecutors to reinforce their understanding of rules that govern discovery in criminal cases, following the advice of a federal judge who recently dismissed the government’s indictment against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.
In a statement, Holder said the department will provide supplemental training to federal prosecutors on their discovery obligations in criminal cases and create a working group of senior prosecutors and officials to review such practices in criminal cases. The training will begin in coming weeks, according to the statement.
After reviewing the Stevens case, Holder determined prosecutors had improperly withheld prosecutors’ notes that would have aided in Stevens’ defense, prompting the attorney general to move to erase Stevens’ conviction.
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