DOJ Dismissal Rate Soars: Glenn Kirschner on Justice Department Failures

Soaring Dismissal Rates in DC

• 🚨 The DC US Attorney's Office, under Janine Piro, has seen a staggering 21% of cases dismissed by judges in recent months.
• 📉 This is a dramatic increase from the historical average of 0.5% dismissal rate over the past decade.
• ⚠️ Judges are throwing out cases for lack of probable cause, indicating unlawful and unconstitutional arrests.

Constitutional Violations and Ethical Responsibilities

• ⚖️ A case involving Torres Riley highlights a judge's ruling of an unlawful search and seizure violating the Fourth Amendment.
• 🛑 Prosecutors have an ethical responsibility to decline charging cases where constitutional rights are clearly violated or evidence is inadequate.
• 🤦‍♂️ Bringing such cases to court results in dismissals, which are both unethical and embarrassing for prosecutors.

Erosion of Trust and Presumption of Regularity

• 📉 The high dismissal rate erodes judges' trust in federal prosecutors and destroys the presumption of regularity.
• 🏛️ Ordinarily, courts presume prosecutors act ethically, but this is being undermined by Trump appointees like Janine Piro.
• 🇺🇸 This situation poses a danger to the public when prosecutors fail to uphold their duties.

DOJ Reputation and Systemic Issues

• 📉 The Department of Justice's reputation is suffering due to lawless and unethical leadership.
• 💔 Good, career public servants are leaving due to the inability to work ethically under current leadership.
• 🔨 The loss of goodwill and presumption of regularity hinders the pursuit of challenging prosecutions and the protection of victims.

Timidity vs. Lawlessness

• 🤔 While past DOJ administrations may have been overly timid, the current situation is not about being timid versus aggressive, but about being ethical versus unethical and vindictive.
• 🚫 Prosecutions are described as vindictive, not righteous, citing examples like James Comey and Leticia James.
• 📉 Failures in obtaining indictments and convictions, even on minor charges, indicate a breakdown in the justice system.

Impact on American People and Institutions

• 💔 Trump's abuses are screwing the American people and crime victims by destroying the reputation of institutions like the FBI and DOJ.
• 🎯 This undermines public faith in government, enabling grifting and providing future arguments to evade accountability.
• 🛠️ Reforms are needed to shore up weak spots, but the system ultimately depends on the goodwill of people in federal government and the integrity of elected officials.