Follow @lexiconvalley on Twitter or on Facebook. Government abuse of the grand jury system has become so notorious and problematic, it caused New York Court of Appeals Judge Sol Wachtler to famously say nearly 30 years ago that if a prosecutor wanted to, a grand jury would "indict a ham sandwich." If you value our work, please disable your ad blocker. So you can see that the unwillingness to indict the police officer is a bizarre outcome and clearly reflects that something else was going on. a case that is a sure loser. He also didn't want a non-indictment. The relevant bit: A month later, the New York Times noted that Wachtler believed grand juries “operate more often as the prosecutor’s pawn than the citizen’s shield.” That belief—that prosecutors can get grand juries to do whatever they want them to do—will sound familiar to anyone who’s been listening to criticism of St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch. ‘If you can indict a ham sandwich, why can’t you indict Officer Wilson?’ News & Politics. Finally, keep this in mind: It has often been said that a decent prosecutor could indict a ham sandwich. You can cancel anytime. Not when Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown in Ferguson. Government abuse of the grand jury system has become so notorious and problematic, it caused New York Court of Appeals Judge Sol Wachtler to famously say nearly 30 years ago that if a prosecutor wanted to, a grand jury would “indict a ham sandwich.”. Jetzt bestellen! Fernow said it's uncommon for a grand jury not to indict. First, the burden of proof at a Grand Jury proceeding is probable cause. I don’t think it’s very difficult to figure out what that was. In Ferguson, the public waited in the dark for months as the secret grand jury heard testimony. Judge Sol Wachtler famously said that a … Prosecutors have a vast amount of leeway and control when it comes to grand jury proceedings. The grand jury process has been in the news again, as Americans debate the decision by one in St. Louis County, Mo., not to indict Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 … A prosecutor might be able to get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, as the saying goes, but not two police officers who caused the deaths of unarmed men. Recently, two grand juries decided the fate of police officers involved in the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York. indict a ham sandwich. When they don’t get those indictments, they don’t want to get them,” he said. “A grand jury could ‘indict a ham sandwich,’ but apparently not a white police officer,” wrote the U.K.’s Independent. In the famous words of Sol Wachtler, the former chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, a prosecutor could persuade a grand jury to “indict a … The Purpose Of The Ferguson Grand Jury Was Not To Get An Indictment. The decision wasn’t a surprise — leaks from the grand jury had led most observers to conclude an indictment was unlikely — but it was unusual. In 1993, he was indicted for extortion and other crimes. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Wednesday criticized grand jury decisions to not indict white police officers in the deaths of black men in New York and Ferguson, Mo. “If a jury can indict a ham sandwich, why is it taking so long?” asked Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson. He or she presents the evidence along with some witness testimony to make a case for indictment, and the jurors vote on it. Ferguson Legal Experts Love ‘Ham Sandwich’ Indictment Line (Washington Free Beacon) There were so many smart takes, it was hard to keep track during Monday’s coverage of a Ferguson grand jury’s decision to not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown. Finally, keep this in mind: It has often been said that a decent prosecutor could indict a ham sandwich. In contrast, the 12 members of the Ferguson panel (nine white, three black) were asked to … … Government abuse of the grand jury system has become so notorious and problematic, it caused New York Court of Appeals Judge Sol Wachtler to famously say nearly 30 years ago that if a prosecutor wanted to, a grand jury would “indict a ham sandwich.”. But, in Ferguson, Brown 's death was seen as something that could happen to them their... 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