Ebook: Prosecutorial Ethics

In the six years since the publication of the second edition of PROSECUTORIAL ETHICS, issues of misconduct by government lawyers in criminal cases continue to capture the national headlines and the attention of courts and legislatures. In this third edition, we aim to incorporate recent decisions of state and federal courts construing constitutional protections against misuse of prosecutorial power in criminal cases and state bar ethics opinions construing the rules of professional conduct applicable to prosecutors.
Professor Cassidy is delighted to welcome Professor Suzanne Valdez as a co-author of the third edition. Professor Valdez brings a wealth of experience as a clinical professor to this third edition, greatly enhancing the book’s usefulness as a resource in clinical pedagogy. Professor Valdez teaches courses in Professional Responsibility and Prosecutorial Ethics at the University of Kansas School of Law, directs the Law School’s Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program, and occasionally takes appointments as a Special Prosecutor in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Professor Valdez served nine years as the Kansas Crime Victims Compensation Board chair.
We have updated the book substantially by incorporating new editions of the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice: Prosecution Function (4th ed. 2015) and the U.S. Justice Department Manual (2018). We have also discussed several new state and federal court decisions and state bar ethics opinions on prosecutorial misconduct. Finally, we have added a new chapter (Chapter 2) on conflicts of interest, circumstances warranting the appointment of part-time and special prosecutors, and the procedures for such appointment. Several hypothetical problems at the end of each chapter are new, derived from our work, current events, and conversations with prosecutors across the country.