Karlan and Weisberg on Law, Politics, and the Power to Prosecute
When politics drives prosecutions, what happens to the rule of law? On a recent episode of Stanford Legal, host Professor Pamela Karlan sat down with her colleague, criminal justice expert Robert Weisberg, JD ’79, to unpack the extraordinary federal indictments of former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Read the full piece on Stanford's website.
In a recent episode of Stanford Legal, Professor Pamela Karlan spoke with Professor Robert Weisberg, co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, about the unprecedented federal indictments of James Comey and Letitia James, and what they reveal about the rule of law in a politicized justice system. Weisberg explained how grand juries function, why these cases are highly unusual, and how claims of selective or vindictive prosecution may arise when political motives are publicly broadcast.
The discussion also examined the erosion of Justice Department norms that historically separated the White House from individual charging decisions, and how that breakdown could reshape the balance between law and politics in future prosecutions.