Keep pulling the thread on Rick Simmons.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Mecklenburg told a grand jury, "I would never ask you to charge somebody if I didn't think there was probable cause," which constitutes improper personal vouching.
Prosecutor Sherri Mecklenburg improperly dismissed a grand juror who was unwilling to indict in the anti-ICE protester case.
Prosecutor Sherri Mecklenburg admitted to having substantive, off-the-record conversations with grand jurors outside the grand jury room.
In the Chicago anti-ICE case, prosecutors initially redacted portions of the grand jury transcripts that detailed their own behavior before providing them to the judge.
In the prosecution of four anti-ICE protesters in Chicago, Judge April Perry stated her trust in government attorneys had been broken.
Judge April Perry indicated that sanctions against the prosecutor in the Chicago anti-ICE protester case could be appropriate due to misconduct.
According to Professor Rick Simmons, the prosecutor in the Chicago anti-ICE case violated grand jury rules by presenting an opening and a closing argument.
According to Professor Rick Simmons, a prosecutor does not have the legal authority to dismiss a grand juror; only a judge has that power.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Butros addressed the grand jury that had previously rejected the anti-ICE case, which Professor Rick Simmons believes sent a strong message to indict.
A grand jury is not legally required to indict even if there is probable cause; it can decline for equitable reasons or to act as a check on prosecutorial power.
The Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office moved to dismiss charges against two defendants in a separate fraud case due to similar allegations of misconduct by prosecutor Sherri Mecklenburg.
Professor Rick Simmons believes the prosecutorial misconduct in Chicago will lead judges in the district and around the country to scrutinize U.S. Attorney's offices more carefully.