Document Type

Court Filing

Publication Date

2019

Abstract

This amicus curiae brief, filed by a group of nationally recognized legal ethics scholars including Professor Jack P. Sahl, supports the State of Missouri’s motion for a new trial in the case of Lamar Johnson, who had been convicted of murder. The amici argue that overwhelming evidence of innocence, prosecutorial misconduct, and systemic failures in the original trial undermine the integrity of the conviction and necessitate judicial intervention. The brief emphasizes that the legal profession has an ethical duty to correct miscarriages of justice and that courts have an obligation to ensure fairness, even post-conviction. Drawing on principles of legal ethics, prosecutorial responsibility, and constitutional due process, the amici urge the court to grant the State’s motion to prevent the continued incarceration of an innocent man and to restore public confidence in the justice system.

Comments

Case Nos. ED108193, ED108223 (Oct. 23, 2019).

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