Starr chambers: the problem with grand juries. (special prosecutor Kenneth Starr's call for a federal grand jury)(Of Several Minds)

From: Commonweal | Date: September 25, 1998| Author: | Copyright information

The federal grand jury was intended by the framers of the US Constitution to act as safeguard against improper indictment. It has evolved as a powerful tool of the prosecutor and is not governed by many existing rules of criminal procedures. As such, its powers should be reviewed and reformed.

Since Whitewater special prosecutor Kenneth Starr's use of the federal grand jury has the nation's attention at the moment, now is a good time to reflect on this ancient but little-understood political institution. With their deep distrust of prosecutorial abuse, the framers of the Constitution had ...

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