Tainting the Grand Jury

When the prosecutor breaks the rules that govern their behavior while conducting a grand jury. In a grand jury, prosecutors present evidence privately to jurors, typically without a judge or defense attorney.

This is a general category only and does not precisely describe the allegations of any particular complaint listed below. Review the complaint carefully to understand the specific misconduct alleged. 

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Summary

Grand juries are prosecutor-controlled, one-sided secretive proceedings where prosecutors present evidence and witness testimony against the accused to a panel of grand jurors in hopes that the jurors will vote to indict the accused on the criminal charges. There is typically not a judge present during these proceedings. No witnesses for the accused testify, and defense attorneys and the accused are not even allowed to be present to make objections or arguments (unless and only when the accused is testifying). Consequently, the prosecutor has the duty to be fair and is supposed to be both advocate and impartial public officer. Thus, prosecutors are not permitted to impair the integrity of grand jury proceedings by misleading the jurors, suppressing exculpatory evidence of the accused’s potential innocence, or denigrating the accused during cross examination if the accused testifies.