Americans Must Tread Carefully as Powerful Prosecutors Undermine Justice
By AAF | Aug 19, 2024
An old video of Kamala Harris is making its rounds on social media, and it is a timely reminder that the American justice system leaves much to be desired in defense of liberty.
“The power I have as a prosecutor is that with a swipe of my pen, I can charge someone with a misdemeanor… and by virtue of that swipe of my pen, you will have to go to a courthouse and stand in line. You will have to come out of pocket and hire an attorney. You may get arrested for a few hours. You will be embarrassed in your community… All because with the swipe of my pen I have charged you with a crime which I may choose to dismiss two weeks later.”
The sad reality is that in America, prosecutors enjoy prosecutorial immunity even when there is no doubt he or she committed a crime.
If a prosecutor knowingly presents false evidence in court to convict an innocent person, he cannot be criminally charged.
If a prosecutor subjects an innocent person to the criminal justice system, knowing that person didn’t do anything wrong, the prosecutor walks free.
If a prosecutor secures a guilty verdict that results in the death sentence while knowing the person is innocent, the prosecutor will not be held criminally liable.
As the saying goes, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The power prosecutors wield is dangerous to a free society and should be reined in.
Lawmakers, however, often want to give prosecutors like Kamala Harris more leeway in their roles.
For example, in Alabama, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee sponsored House Bill 409 earlier this year, which stated that a prosecutor “shall have absolute immunity from any civil suit arising from the execution of any duty or any function assigned by law.”
American Action Fund and grassroots patriots across the Yellowhammer State stepped up in a big way to crush this radical effort. Still, this simple example highlights the danger Americans face regarding a runaway criminal justice system.