BBM
You apparently missed my point. I am well aware that the new DA will want to go through the evidence for himself.
But what I was reading/responding to [cited above, just so you can see it again] was the idea that having a new DA would justify a request by the DA's office that they don't have to comply with disclosure right now, and should be allowed to put off everything for 6 months or a year so he can catch up to the rest of the class.
Nonsense. They've already arrested the defendants, placed accusations against their name, and deprived them of their liberty, and they have a legal obligation to promptly and fully disclose to the defendants the evidence that they will use to try to make their case.
The DA's office has already had a lengthy time period to produce. The defense still needs - and has the right to - the evidence that the state has, so they can begin the exhaustive task of working through it to prepare for a trial. Swapping out one name on the door for another shouldn't change that time frame, since it's not as if the evidence itself (which is what was already required to be disclosed) is going to change simply because there's a new DA.
After they meet their legal disclosure burden, I suspect that the defense may then agree to extra time, while they are in the process of reviewing the disclosures and working on a defense. But a time out now? Not justified.
oceanblueeyes said:With a new DA onboard the Judge will reset the time discovery has to be turned over. It will take the DA quite a long time to go over all the evidence. So I don't see these cases coming to trial anytime soon. It may not even happen until 2016.
This is nonsense. What does "I need to review the evidence myself" have to do with "The court requires your office to present the evidence to the defendant"? If I am the judge and the prosecution doesn't comply with the deadline to provide their evidence to the defense as the LAW demands, after their foot-dragging we've already seen, there will likely be severe sanctions imposed, and rightly so.
One would think the new DA would have to take time to go over everything concerning Holly's case. I could be wrong, but I don't think anything has been reported that the prosecution will not meet the deadline for turning over evidence. The prosecution is obligated to turn over copies of all evidence, etc to the defense but not to have it organized in any way for them. I rather think most DA's offices just give the defense what is required. I think it is up to the defense to go through it and organize it for themselves. This is partly what they are paid to do. I don't think it is a question of being moral. It's a point of law. Also, the defense often asks the court for extended time to sort through the evidence, etc and is, more often than not, granted the extra time. I think it would be a logical request for this new DA to ask for extended time also to study the case.
You apparently missed my point. I am well aware that the new DA will want to go through the evidence for himself.
But what I was reading/responding to [cited above, just so you can see it again] was the idea that having a new DA would justify a request by the DA's office that they don't have to comply with disclosure right now, and should be allowed to put off everything for 6 months or a year so he can catch up to the rest of the class.
Nonsense. They've already arrested the defendants, placed accusations against their name, and deprived them of their liberty, and they have a legal obligation to promptly and fully disclose to the defendants the evidence that they will use to try to make their case.
The DA's office has already had a lengthy time period to produce. The defense still needs - and has the right to - the evidence that the state has, so they can begin the exhaustive task of working through it to prepare for a trial. Swapping out one name on the door for another shouldn't change that time frame, since it's not as if the evidence itself (which is what was already required to be disclosed) is going to change simply because there's a new DA.
After they meet their legal disclosure burden, I suspect that the defense may then agree to extra time, while they are in the process of reviewing the disclosures and working on a defense. But a time out now? Not justified.