Publish Californians for the Crimes They’ve Committed, Not For Murders They Didn’t Do
A.J. acted as a decoy in an armed robbery committed by her boyfriend in downtown San Francisco in 2005. She was sitting in a parked car a block away when he attempted to rob a second man 15 minutes later, then shot and killed him. Today, A.J. sits in prison in California serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for that murder.
I Didn’t Want Co-Sleeping to End
District Attorney Michael Ramos is a roadblock to justice
On June 5, voters in San Bernardino County will head to the polls and decide whether to re-elect District Attorney Michael Ramos to his fifth term or replace him with challenger Jason Anderson, a former prosecutor in Ramos’ office who specialized in putting away child sex offenders. Anderson has also practiced law as a criminal defense attorney.
Should the Movement to Oust Bad Prosecutors Go After Judges Next?
▷Why Certain Prosecutors Pursue Wrongful Convictions
Lara Bazelon discusses her recent cover story for Slate, “The Innocence Deniers,” which looks at the role of prosecutors in wrongful conviction cases. While some prosecutors ask judges to dismiss cases that have proven to be faulty, Bazelon argues that “there is a class of prosecutors that might fairly be called innocence deniers.” These prosecutors will relitigate a case, sometimes filing appeals or even seeking “no contest” pleas from wrongfully convicted prisoners. These "Faustian bargains” stem from a prosecutor’s reluctance to admit they were wrong. They not only impede the pursuit of justice, but can actively prevent it.
A Lawyer of Many Talents: Lara Bazelon Talks Family, Justice, and Ambition
Lara Bazelon is proof that lawyers can wear many hats: She’s a professor, litigator, and contributing writer for Slate, where she has a long-running series about criminal justice and modern family life. Her op-eds and essays have also been published in the New York Times and The Washington Post, among other outlets. Next year, she’ll add “author” to her list of titles when her book about wrongful convictions is published. Here, she talks about career setbacks, challenges for women in the courtroom, and overcoming the stigma of a painful divorce.
