In a recent opinion piece authored by New York State Bar Criminal Justice Section Chair Marvin Schechter, the author recklessly opined that hiding Brady material is a “learned and taught” practice by district attorneys. This outrageous statement does not comport with the facts, nor do his comments honestly and accurately describe the professionalism and integrity of New York prosecutors.
The evidence Schechter uses to support his sweeping indictment of an entire profession is a single case involving one prosecutor. To reach his offensive and inaccurate conclusion, Schechter not only chose to rely on an insufficient body of evidence, but also to ignore ample evidence that district attorneys in New York take nothing more seriously than their responsibility to promote and protect the integrity of our criminal justice system.
