{"id":590335,"date":"2023-09-08T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-rights-war-on-prosecutors-is-a-direct-attack-on-voters\/"},"modified":"2023-09-08T16:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T13:30:00","slug":"the-rights-war-on-prosecutors-is-a-direct-attack-on-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-rights-war-on-prosecutors-is-a-direct-attack-on-voters\/","title":{"rendered":"#The right\u2019s war on prosecutors is a direct attack on voters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/AP23183712743804.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>At every chapter in our history, new crises create new heroes. Right now, the two who are shining the brightest are District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia and suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell in Florida.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These Black women prosecutors earned election to one of the toughest jobs in our justice system only to be targeted for removal by the far right, in what is turning into an all-out nationwide\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/politico-nightly\/2023\/08\/16\/progressive-prosecutors-contend-with-backlash-politics-00111510\">war on reform-minded prosecutors.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>As the world now knows, Georgia\u2019s Fani Willis had the courage to\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2023\/08\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-georgia-indictment-annotated.html\">indict<\/a>\u00a0former President Donald Trump and a raft of co-conspirators for their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Even before the indictment, and with it clearly in mind,<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/georgiarecorder.com\/2023\/03\/27\/prosecutor-oversight-bill-headed-to-kemp-local-control-concerns-dismissed\/\">\u00a0GOP officials in Georgia were advancing a bill<\/a>\u00a0to make it easier to can district attorneys like Willis. Having succeeded in passing the measure, now\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/sep\/01\/georgia-republicans-fani-willis-unseat\">they want to turn its full force<\/a>\u00a0against her.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Florida<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/ron-desantis-promises-prosecutor-crackdown-1821481\">\u00a0Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is crowing<\/a>\u00a0about removing prosecutors including Worrell. Worrell is a star; she won her seat\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Monique_Worrell#:~:text=Democratic%20primary%20for%20Florida%20Ninth,Attorney%20on%20August%2018%2C%202020.\">with almost 66 percent of the vote<\/a>\u00a0and ran on an unapologetically progressive platform. She is refusing to be intimidated by DeSantis; she makes the case that<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/the-real-story-behind-ron-desantis-newest-fired-prosecutor?ref=home?ref=home?ref=home\">\u00a0her efforts to go after police corruption<\/a>\u00a0had a lot to do with why she was targeted. DeSantis\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/08\/09\/desantis-suspends-elected-florida-state-attorney-monique-worrell.html\">suspended<\/a>\u00a0Worrell last month, accusing her of failing to prosecute defendants to the fullest extent of the law.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Willis and Worrell were chosen by voters who looked at their records and decided that these women embodied an <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach to criminal justice that people wanted in their communities. The attempts to remove them don\u2019t just undermine two individuals, they invalidate fair elections and silence the voices of Florida and Georgia voters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s bad enough in principle, but the harm goes even deeper because citizens exercise an important right when they choose to give someone from their own community the authority to enforce the law. When those chosen are prevented from enforcing the law, the police and justice system risk becoming little more than an occupying army. It\u2019s disturbing that Georgia legislators and DeSantis don\u2019t get this.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But the worst thing about the growing attacks on prosecutors is that they trample on prosecutorial discretion, which is at the heart of our justice system.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors are elected to make hard, critical decisions about which cases to pursue. They have to do that based on their experience of what makes communities safer. Reform-minded prosecutors\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/melissasegura\/criminal-justice-reform-midterms\">have been running \u2014 and winning<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 on platforms that oppose\u00a0racial bias in the criminal justice system, the school-to-prison pipeline and the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commonwealthfund.org\/blog\/2020\/how-cash-bail-system-endangers-health-black-americans\">racist<\/a>,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pubs.aeaweb.org\/doi\/pdfplus\/10.1257\/aer.20161503\">classist<\/a>\u00a0institution of cash bail. They are declining to prosecute low-level offenses like cannabis possession.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Most recently, they are also refusing to use crime-fighting resources to criminalize people seeking abortion, which was recognized as a constitutionally protected right for 50 years. Scores of prosecutors have signed a<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/06\/29\/1108513274\/a-district-attorney-in-texas-says-he-wont-prosecute-abortion-crimes\">\u00a0pledge<\/a>\u00a0saying they will not do this.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In response, the far right has ramped up its attacks. Campaigns to oust individual prosecutors have been amplified by the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/12\/us\/conservatives-progressive-district-attorneys.html#:~:text=More%20than%20two%20dozen%20bills,in%20Tennessee%2C%20Georgia%20and%20Texas.\">introduction of more than two dozen bills in 16 states<\/a> aimed at limiting the power of prosecutors. In addition to the new law in Georgia, bills have been signed into law in<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2021\/11\/12\/lee-signs-law-allowing-attorney-general-intervene-local-prosecutors-decisions\/6267077001\/\">\u00a0Tennessee<\/a>\u00a0and\u202f<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fox7austin.com\/news\/texas-governor-greg-abbott-signs-hb-17-bill-district-attorneys\">Texas<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Right-wing politicians will argue that they\u2019re doing this to force prosecutors to be \u201ctough on crime.\u201d However, there is plenty of evidence to show that progressive criminal justice reforms\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/criminal-law-reform\/what-you-need-to-know-about-cash-bail-and-crime-rates\">don\u2019t increase crime in general<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/article\/progressive-prosecutors-are-not-tied-to-the-rise-in-violent-crime\/\">violent crime in particular<\/a>.\u00a0Meanwhile, other statistics point to an alarming red state\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thirdway.org\/report\/the-two-decade-red-state-murder-problem\">\u201cmurder gap\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0evidence that for two decades the homicide rate has been higher in \u201ctough-on-crime\u201d red states.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>These attacks are not about fighting crime. They\u2019re about power. They\u2019re about protecting entrenched interests. They are\u00a0definitely\u00a0about intimidating or removing reform-minded prosecutors and prosecutors of color. And they\u2019re about nullifying the will of a younger, more diverse electorate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At its most extreme, that impulse played out in a violent attempt to overthrow our entire democracy on Jan. 6, 2021.\u202fWe can\u2019t ignore the attacks on Willis, Worrell and others; we\u2019ve been warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Svante\u00a0Myrick\u00a0is the president of\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pfaw.org\/\"><em>People For the American Way<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/judiciary\/4192016-the-rights-war-on-prosecutors-is-a-direct-attack-on-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At every chapter in our history, new crises create new heroes. Right now, the two who are shining the brightest are District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia and suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell in Florida.\u00a0\u00a0 These Black women prosecutors earned election to one of the toughest jobs in our justice system only to be targeted&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":590336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/AP23183712743804.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134343,73798,76316,4941,134661,134421,134614,145621,71525,141939,145622,29102,70588],"class_list":["post-590335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-campaign","tag-defense","tag-district-attorneys","tag-donald-trump","tag-energy-environment","tag-fani-willis","tag-judiciary","tag-liberal-prosecutors","tag-national-security","tag-politics-of-the-united-states","tag-prosecutorial-discretion","tag-ron-desantis","tag-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}