Prosecutor behaving badly

Did you ever want to know what prosecutors think of defense attorneys? One would think that they would have at least a professional respect for them, because, at a minimum, they help channel the chaos that is society into legal arguments and trials.

Indeed, one would think (based on experience) that most acknowledge that in our system, that one cannot exist without the other.  Other than that, people are free to make individual judgments about each other.

Well, it seems that Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley of the Office of the District Attorney of Santa Barbara County thinks otherwise.  In fact, she hates defense attorneys so much that she self-published a book about a rape which bore an incredible resemblance to on that she was prosecuting.  According to defense counsel she also told him that 1) other people in the office would not take the case; and 2) this case would never settle.    

Anyway, on a mandamus from a motion to recuse, the Cal. App. 2d condemns her:    

Dudley presents a biased, black-and-white view of the participants in the criminal justice system. She portrays prosecutors as fearless champions of truth and justice. On the other hand, she characterizes the defendant in the novel as "despicable," "felony ugly," a "pig," a "heartless bastard," and a "dirt bag." Defense counsel is portrayed as "disingenuous and manipulative" and as deserving to have his "ass" kicked. These stereotypical generalizations have no place in a current public prosecutor's thinking processes even if they are uttered in a fictional account. A reader of the novel is bound to consider the source of the comments, and the source here is a public prosecutor presently employed by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office. Perhaps without intending to do so, Dudley is potentially infecting the jury pool with her views on the righteousness of cases prosecuted by that office.                    

The case is Harguchi v. Superior Court. The California bar site does not say what law school she attended.  If someone knows, perhaps the dean of the law school would like to explain whether they endorse such behavior.

She also does not like beatniks.  I suspect that many people will love her overly moronic, yet politically popular view of... everything.

Tnx Legal Ethics Forum

Did you ever want to know what prosecutors think of defense attorneys? One would think that they would have at least a professional respect for them, because, at a minimum, they help channel the chaos that is society into legal arguments and trials.

Indeed, one would think (based on experience) that most acknowledge that in our system, that one cannot exist without the other.  Other than that, people are free to make individual judgments about each other.

Well, it seems that Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley of the Office of the District Attorney of Santa Barbara County thinks otherwise.  In fact, she hates defense attorneys so much that she self-published a book about a rape which bore an incredible resemblance to on that she was prosecuting.  According to defense counsel she also told him that 1) other people in the office would not take the case; and 2) this case would never settle.    

Anyway, on a mandamus from a motion to recuse, the Cal. App. 2d condemns her:    

Dudley presents a biased, black-and-white view of the participants in the criminal justice system. She portrays prosecutors as fearless champions of truth and justice. On the other hand, she characterizes the defendant in the novel as "despicable," "felony ugly," a "pig," a "heartless bastard," and a "dirt bag." Defense counsel is portrayed as "disingenuous and manipulative" and as deserving to have his "ass" kicked. These stereotypical generalizations have no place in a current public prosecutor's thinking processes even if they are uttered in a fictional account. A reader of the novel is bound to consider the source of the comments, and the source here is a public prosecutor presently employed by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office. Perhaps without intending to do so, Dudley is potentially infecting the jury pool with her views on the righteousness of cases prosecuted by that office.                    

The case is Harguchi v. Superior Court. The California bar site does not say what law school she attended.  If someone knows, perhaps the dean of the law school would like to explain whether they endorse such behavior.

She also does not like beatniks.  I suspect that many people will love her overly moronic, yet politically popular view of... everything.

Tnx Legal Ethics Forum