Prosecutorial Misconduct and the Problems of the Middle Class
• CRIME & FEDERALISMThe Zhenli Ye Gon case was dismissed due to prosecutorial misconduct. (Details here.) How was the misconduct discovered? Zhenli Ye Gon was a rich drug dealer whom federal prosecutors deemed unworthy of a fair trial. And so prosecutors hid evidence. Fortunately for Ye Gon, he was able to pay lawyers to work tirelessly on his case. If Ye Gon had been poor, the hidden evidence would never have been uncovered. In the prosecution of former Senator Ted Stevens, prosecutors also withheld evidence. Stevens, fortunately, was able to pay millions to Williams & Connolly. The Duke players were able to expose the rape complaint as a hoax only after their lawyers re-reviewed thousands of pages of documents. Ye Gon, Stevens, and Duke have a common theme: With big budgets, every stone is unturned. The poor and middle class are not so lucky. III. Equal Justice Should Not Cost Seven Figures. Equal justice under the law is a constitutional requirement, not a privilege one purch
