Overwork, Politics Drive DA Resignations
In many cities, suburban counties and rural jurisdictions, line attorneys are stepping away from their jobs, raising fears that defense lawyers will chalk up easy wins against the inexperienced junior prosecutors who replace them.
Landwebs
St. Louis, Mo., prosecutor Kim Gardner says turnover in her office has exceeded 100 percent. She’s not alone. In many cities, suburban counties, and rural jurisdictions, elected chief prosecutors and line attorneys are stepping away from their jobs, according to City Journal. Some leave because of political differences with the new wave of progressive prosecutors like Gardner. Other says they are working too hard for salaries way below what they could receive from private law firms. And still others feel they are caught in a political crossfire between activists and conservatives over sensitive issues like prosecuting police misconduct.
As veteran prosecutors vanish, inexperienced prosecutors will be facing off with seasoned defense attorneys in serious criminal cases. Some defense attorneys have noted that they are already having easy wins at trial against junior prosecutors. Judges are also growing frustrated with the low quality of prosecutions, weak plea bargains, and issues of prosecutorial misconduct.
