In New York, anyone can file an official ethics complaint–often called a “grievance”–with the appropriate Grievance Committee. These committees are obligated to investigate the grievances and when appropriate, recommend disciplinary action to the courts, which can issue a “suspension” (temporarily pausing someone’s practice of law) or “disbarment” (taking away someone’s law license).
We identified cases based on public records, such as court findings of improper conduct or District Attorney Offices’ own investigations into their prosecutors’ practices, where those prosecutors and former prosecutors still had no record of public discipline. Grievances were submitted to demand that the Grievance Committees, the primary bodies with the power to hold prosecutors accountable, investigate and take action.
You can read the filed complaints on the Grievances page. Reach out to the Grievance Committee to let them know you want accountability for prosecutorial misconduct. To take a deeper dive into some common types of prosecutorial misconduct and the powerful role of the prosecutor in the criminal system, check out The Problem. To see News and Resources on the subject, check out News & Resources.
Want occasional updates on this work? Sign up here. Contact us at complaints@accountabilityNY.org.