that prosecutorial discretion, i mentioned earlier, prosecutorial abuse. that's a real problem with a number of prosecutors who believe that it is their job to convict. and a lot to go directly to what you said, there are people in this country and i really home it's very few, but i doubt that, who take the attitude, of course they're guilty. they wouldn't have been arrested if they weren't guilty. and it really takes some push against this argument that there's too much justice already. you know, just put an end to it. i think that's a significant problem in our system. >> do any of you have a sense of where we would -- in this regard, cheryl has described something that's fundamentally flawed and problematic and it almost leads to a sense of hopelessness because it's too big to tackle. would you have a place to start? >> proportionality in criminal sentencing. >> but that's got to be advanced through the legislative process. you've got to figure out a way to generate a commitment on the part of lawmakers when you address those issues. >> you're right. bu

and i mentioned earlier about prosecutor yal k-- prosecutorialism. there are people in this country, and i really hope it's very few but i doubt that, who take the attitude of course they're guilty. they wouldn't have been arrested if they weren't builty. >> it really some push armament that there as i think that's a significant problem in our system. >> does anyone have a sense of where we would start in this regard? in order, sherrilyn has described something very fundamentally flawed and problem at is there a rule caught one flores -- >> proportionality in criminal season ternsing. >> that's got to be advanced through the legislative process. you have to find a way to generate commitment -- >> you're right but i don't want to skip over miss montana a case in which a man had been on death row for 14 years, he retried, the jury deliberates for 13 minutes and comes back add says he's innocent. he then sues civilry. he sued the jury wanteds him $14 million and the case go up to the supreme court and the court space you can't you anyway ma the low tell

discretion and prosecutorial abuse.that is a very real problem with the number of prosecutors who believe that it is their job to convict. to go directly to what you said, there are people in the country, and i really hope it is very fuel, but i doubt that. people who would take the attitude, of course, they are guilty. they wouldn't have been arrested if they weren't guilty. it really takes some push -- since the argument that there is too much justice, already. just putting into it. i think that is a significant problem in our system. >> do any of you have a sense of where we stand in this guard? sherrilyn ifill describe something flawed and problematic. it is almost leading to a sense of hopelessness. is there a root cause you could identify workplace to discuss that would have the most impact moving forward? >> proportionality in criminal sentencing. >> that has to be advanced through the legislative process. you have to figure out a way to generate a commitment on the part of lawmakers. >> you are right. but i don'

family units advisory group in des identifying cases that could benefit from president obama's prosecutorial discretion deportation and prioritization policy. the year- old policy makes deportation of serious criminals of priority over other undocumented people >> it gives special consideration to undocumented immigrants with no criminal history who art dream act students families with u.s. citizens military families, and others with the deeper roots in the united states. >> former president bill clinton was in town today talking to a sold-out crowd at one of mccormick place is biggest trade shows. he thanked the national restaurant association for their initiatives to help kids live a healthier life and fight childhood obesity. in a lighter moment he reflected on the benefits of not being president anymore >> unless your wife is secretary of state... >> his appearance helped boost of the shows attendance with nearly 60,000 people in town for the show >> teenagers from all over the chicago area congregated this morning to celebrate israel's independence. they met the illinois holocaust museu

and we have the prosecutorial problems in this case. it appears that this was possibly prompted by the police. we believe that this evidence was material, and we decided to read prosecute the case. we have an integrity and it today, and we're looking at a series of cases and convictions. the answer is that i will hold those individuals accountable, and if there is a case to be prosecuted i would do so. as far as the prosecutor is concerned, if i find that he withheld information intentionally, we will assess a fee should be prosecuted. if we have police officers committing perjury, we will review these cases. we have a number of cases that have been presented, and we're trying to assess the actual occurrence on the basis. the only way the system can work well as if we all play by the rules. >> i agree. >> i want to get the other panelists into the conversation. >> in my particular case, each one of us was put on death row. and right now, you have 135 people have been exonerated from death row. what would be the charge? at of the 138 who

i mentioned earlier about prosecutorial discretion, prosecutorial abuse. the number of prosecutors who believe it is their job. to go directly to what you said, there are people in this country, and i hope this very few, that take the attitude that they would not have been arrested if they were not guilty. it really takes some push against this argument that there is too much justice already. i think that is a significant problem in our system. >> do you have a sense of where we would start? you have described something that is very fundamentally flawed and problematic. it is almost hopeless, too big to tackle. is there a root cause or a place to start the would have the most impact? >> proportionality in criminal sentencing. that has to be advanced through the legislative process. you have to figure out a way to generate a commitment on the part of lawmakers to address those issues. >> you are right, but i do not want to skip over missed opportunities. the supreme court had a case last year out of louisiana, a case in which a prosecutor withheld informati

being developed, but one of the things i want to eliminate is the process that occurs throughout prosecutorial agencies around the country, the overcharging of cases in order to engage in plea-bargain later on. i personally disagree with that. [applause] we have to reform the system, and it has to be across the board. whether you are a prosecutor or police officer or member of the public, you need to be held accountable to the same rules. when someone in a position of authority violates a rule, the implications of that are greater, and we need to take a closer look. i have caused more police officers to be terminated from employment than probably anyone in this room. i have had police officers that have been prosecuted for criminal conduct. i have been in this business a long time. i have no patience for bad official conduct. when i came to the sfpd, one of the first things we did was create an internal affairs unit with the criminal section. i recognize quickly the sometimes criminal misconduct internally was not being handled appropriately. i am not an apologist. when i tell you that there a

there's also the question about prosecutorial discretion. >> right. >> we do have a problem, in my view, in this country with prosecutors who are overzealous, who are too quick to take things into court that don't rise to that level of concern. and, you know, that puts the -- you know, we're going to bring this. ends up in the court. and that just adds to the workload. >> whatever issue we focus on from moment to moment in our discussion, i want to get back to this bigger picture about understanding about these issues. one of the co-sponsors of this event, the survey, showed a lack of positive reaction to the notion of judicial independence. is that correct? is that a correct characterization of the findings? what i'm wondering is those of you who teach about law, who practice law, who report on law, who sit on benches, are you doing enough to communicate these issues to the public in a way that they support right things, provide the right resources, and do all the things we need the citizenry to do to create the justice system? >> i think you're asking the right question. i do think th

there is also the question about prosecutorial discretion. we do have a problem, in my view, with prosecutors who are overzealous, who are too quick to take things into court that do not rise to that level of concern. that puts the burden, they said we will bring this to court, that just adds to the workload. >> whatever issue we focus on, i want to get back on this bigger picture about understanding these issues. and why they are understood or misunderstood. just brought up the supreme court, and joining the rest of the branches of government. the survey showed a lack of positive reaction to the notion of judicial independence. is that correct? is that a correct characterization? what i am wondering, those of you who'd teach about law, practice law, are you doing enough to communicate these issues to the public in a way where they get it? they do all the things that we need the citizenry to do to create an effective justice system? >> i think you are asking a great question. i do think there is a lack of understanding of precisely what the j

the ever to the top proposal even got the prosecutorial of the artist, bruno mars.ted, congratulating the hawpe couple, saying he couldn't imagine a better music video to the song. >> creative on his part. >> yeah. how do you top that? then what do we expect for the wedding? choreographed dancing -- >> he won't have anything to do with that. just her. >> show up on time. >> make sure he's there to walk her back down. >>> about ten minutes ago we mentioned a lot of memorial day events going on. one other that means a lot to me, the air force memorial -- the air force band memorial day concert it tonight in arlington. this is a photo from they rehearsal. i'll serve ads guest narrator. it will feature music from the air force concert babd and singing sergeants. the event is free, parking is free. colonel lange, as you see, was patient and nice as we rehearsed last week. concert starts at 7:00. it's free. come on out. >> good luck. >>> a quick check of the forecast? we might have an isolated thunderstorm by late this afternoon, this evening. events before that should st

. >> how many murders need to be tried, can't that put this to some use and prosecutorial ability.ere is something we have to cover. here is john edwards saying today about his future and he says he has one, and it sowns like he thinks he has a political future a all this. look at this. >> i don't think god is through with me. i really believe he thinks there is still some good things i can do. and whatever happens with this legal stuff going forward, what i'm hopeful about is all of the kids i have seen in the poorest parts of this country and in some of the poorest places in the world, they can help them. in whatever way i'm still capable of helping them. and i want to dedicate my life to being the best dad i can be and to helping those kids who i think deserve help. >> howard, you know, i'm not a cruel person, but i am an observant person. i think he used this opportunity that he knew he would get on cable and network television to make a pitch. so he smartly said, okay, the jury is genius because they let me off, and of course i committed all of these sins because everybody kno

bad prosecutorial work?o you deal with these -- let's talk about john mark karr, who confessed to killing jonbenet ramsey. >> first, i'd like to know what the backstory is on this arrest. because what joey will tell you and what i'll tell you, because we're both former homicide prosecutors, prosecutors ride homicides in new york unlike the rest of the country. we have to go to the scene and it's the d.a. who makes the decision about make iing an arr or not. i want to know, was this authorized by cyrus vance, the d.a. remember, ray kelly's man went down to camden, new jersey, put this guy in a police cruiser and brought him back to new york. so did the d.a. authorize this arrest? did he say there was enough evidence? or was this a police decision and now the d.a. has to put together a case. i think we'll hear backstory in the days to come. >> and there's a political twist. and what is that? when cy vance got elected, he gave the indication he was going to reopen this case. so certainly there's some type of po

he talked about during the savings and loan scandal and their work 10,000 prosecutorial refer roles and 1000 people prosecuted. then this guy who wrote "predator nation" has talked about the lack of prosecutions. host: i will jump in. there are two issues. guest: how much the banks have paid back, that is public information. most of the banks have paid back the money they were given and the government has made money on most of those transactions. we're waiting for the closure of the aig situation. we know the government is ending its ownership at some point but that has yet to be concluded. much of the money has been paid back or has begun to be paid back and there is a schedule in place. all that information is public information. in terms of the second question -- host: dealing with prosecution. guest: this is one of the big issues. enter cuomo -- andrew cuomo said people will go back into the water when they know the shark is dead. people will return to the market when they know the coast is clear, those people who created the problem have been justified, have been given the conseque

what would you say to people who say this is not the best use of prosecutorial resources? >> i have not heard of the references that you made there. one has to view these cases in their totality. i do not know what that witness said where the context of the statement. the charges are serious. it is about testifying falsely before congress. on that basis, i think it was a justified use of our resources to bring the case. >> it has been two years since the gulf oil spill. when do you expect more criminal charges? would you expect a trial to go forward before you step down as attorney general? >> when will that be? [laughter] i want to say that, as we have indicated fairly consistently, it is the -- it is our attention -- intentions to hold all oil parties responsible for the spill and make sure the american taxpayers do not spend a dime for restoration of the region. that manner is ongoing as indicated in a part -- remarks i made when we announced the initial indictments. we expect there will be others. we are working on the civil side as well as the criminal side. i do not

and the suggestion that that adjudication, that agency is one of the sees its role as prosecutorial, to make people nervous. >> but should it make them nervous? >> it should make them nervous in the same way that criminals are nervous. >> no one talks tougher than prosecutors, right? we all love that. >> if you heard, if a federal district judge gave a speech about how much he liked sending people to prison, that would make people nervous. a judge is supposed to be neutral on whether any particular defendant deserves to go to prison or not. if you're the agency that enforces the environmental laws -- >> is it a proper analogy for a regulator, the judge or the prosecutor, that's the question. >> it's a specific case of while he is in this job. it's the wrong kind of thing for him to say. if he were not in this job, he could say things more flamboyant. that's the problem. >> he could have said he was declaring peace on the war on christmas. >> let me reaffirm that as colorful as the analogy was, he specifically mentions in the quote, that's what, this pertains to people that are out of

conviction that they got that had to be overturned, thrown out because of multiple allegations of prosecutorialduct. now the justice department has really got to be sitting back thinking, gosh, what do we have to do to get a big defendant locked up? because it certainly didn't happen today. >> jeff, i want to bring you in here, because i know you're thinking that the government would probably not re-file on this. what's the impact in the long-term on campaign finance law, if any? it's so complicated. it's so obtuse. and these cases, as we saw today, are very difficult to bring. >> and add to that stew of complexity that it's a moving target. >> yes. >> this case involves conduct that took place before the supreme court's decision in the citizens united case, which is the case from 2010 where the court said that corporations have the unlimited right to give as much money as they want in support of political candidates. now, why that is relevant to this case is that they -- the supreme court has found that the act of giving money to political campaigns is more protected by the first amendment tha

what would you say to people who would say this is not the best use of prosecutorial references when the key witness may be [inaudible] >> i have not heard the references you have made. one has to be these cases in their totality. i do not know the context for which that statement might have been made. the charges are serious. it is about testifying falsely before congress. on that basis, it was justified use of our resources to bring the case. >> it has been two years since the gulf oil spill, the first criminal charges were born recently. talk about when you expect a civil settlement or trowel to go for before you step down -- a trial to go forward before you step down? >> when will that be? i want to say that as we have indicated, fairly consistently from the time of, it is our intention to hold responsible all parties who were responsible for that spill and to make sure the american people, taxpayers do not spend a dime for the restoration of the region. that matter is ongoing in -- as i indicated. that was an initial charge. we expect there will be others. we're working on the c

there were 10,000 prosecutorial deferrals. over 1000 people prosecuted.ut there, we see people prosecuted for the crimes committed. we are not seeing it, even with the obama administration. host: let me ask about the government getting involved in banks. do you think $2 billion is an amount the government to get involved in? what is the cut off? what if it is $100 million? $10 million? what level should the government get involved? caller: again, i am clearly not a close expert or know a whole lot about this issue. i have learned more since the 2008 fraud. that would be something determined -- our congressman, clearly, are brought out by some of these same individuals. where they come up with a number like that, i would not know. i know the volcker rule, which i believe, is similar to the role with a separate the different types of loans. from what i've heard, this is not a lot of money for jpmorgan. when it impedes or threatens the u.s. economy in a serious ways as what happened with wall street, there needs to be an intervention and more transparency. i

process, he talked about during the savings and loan scandal that i think he said there were 10,000 prosecutorial referrals, and 1000 people prosecuted. and then this guy, charles ferguson, who wrote predator nation, a "washington journal" has him on, he has talked also about the lack of prosecution -- >> host: mary, how much the banks a payback on a government bailout and also prosecution, criminal indictments people who may have been involved in wrongdoing in the 2008 meltdown. >> guest: i think for starters on how much the banks to pay back. that's all public information. that's a out there. most of the banks to pay back the money and the government has made money on most of those transactions. we are still waiting for the closure of the aig situation. we know that the government is selling its data and in its ownership there at some point, but it has yet to be concluded. so we're sort of in the middle of the. entrance of a large money center banks in much of the money has been paid back or has begun to be payback and there is a sketch a place. all the information is public information so you

what would you say to people who would say this is not the best use of prosecutorial resources, rather when key witness may only be as good as a coin flip? >> i have not heard the references that you've made there. one has to view the cases in their totality. i don't know what that witness said. i don't know the context which that statement might been made. charges are serious ones. it is about testifying falsely before congress. on that basis i think it was justified use of our resources to bring the case. >> mr. holder, two years since the gulf oil spill. first criminal charges were brought recently. can you talk about when you expect further criminal charges or a civil settlement or trial to go forward at some point before you step down as attorney general? >> and when will that be? >> [inaudible]. >> i want to say as we've indicated fairly consistently from the time of the spill, it is our intention to hold responsible all parties who were responsible for that spill and to make sure that the american people, the american taxpayers do not spend a dime for the restoration of the regi