Strong words and actions as Stevens conviction set aside

As detailed in this CNN report, the formal dismissal of former Senator Ted Stevens's prosecution came with some verbal fireworks today:

A federal judge Tuesday set aside the conviction of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. He also initiated criminal contempt proceedings against the government lawyers who prosecuted Stevens. He appointed an independent, nongovernment attorney to investigate the matter.

"Until recently, my faith in the criminal justice system was unwavering. But what some members of this prosecution team did nearly destroyed my faith. Their conduct has consequences they must know can never be reversed," Stevens said in a statement read to the court. "But today ... my faith has been restored ... [I have] new hope that others may be spared from similar miscarriages of justice."

Stevens added that he would "encourage the enactment of legislation to reform laws relating to the responsibilities and duties of those entrusted with the solemn task of enforcing federal criminal laws."

In issuing his ruling, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan noted that the Department of Justice's investigation into potential misconduct by government prosecutors had already gone on for six months with no result. "The silence is deafening," Sullivan said.

Regular readers may recall that I was hoping that Stevens might get reelected so that he could work on criminal justice reform from the Senate floor.  Even though he now has to work from the outside, I hope he will still follow through on this pledge to push for legislation to regulate federal prosecutors.

Some related posts:

• DOJ seeking now to drop all charges against former Senator Ted Stevens
• Official AG Holder statement on DOJ's new position in Stevens case
• Prosecutorial misconduct or just standard operating procedures in Senator Stevens' prosecution?
• Plot thickens in allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in Senator Stevens' case
• More ugliness revealed in prosecution of former Senator Ted Stevens
• Senator Stevens convicted on all counts
• Some sentencing questions after Senator Stevens conviction
• How should (and will) Senator Stevens' political past and future impact his sentencing? 

UPDATE:  This Legal Times report suggests that Judge Sullivan has been troubled by prosecutorial misconduct in cases others than just Stevens's case:

At a hearing Tuesday morning in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on the government's motion to dismiss, Sullivan said Stevens' case was symptomatic of a larger trend of misconduct.  The judge urged his colleagues around the country to enter exculpatory evidence orders at the outset of every criminal case, and to require that exculpatory material be turned over in a usable form.

The judge said Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. should train new and veteran prosecutors on the rules of evidence.  He further suggested that President Barack Obama obtain the commitment of prospective U.S. attorneys to abide by these rules, and that the Senate Judiciary Committee push nominees on this point during confirmation hearings.

"We must never forget the Supreme Court's directive that a criminal trial is a search for the truth. Yet in several cases recently, this court has seen troubling failures to produce exculpatory evidence in violation of the law and this court's orders," Sullivan said.