Opinion: We need justice, not politics
March 9, 2021
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State's Attorney Richard J. Colangelo Jr.Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media
Editor’s Note: The following is submitted by the Chief State’s Attorney and the 13 State’s Attorneys of Connecticut.
The administration of justice should not be political. Prosecutors must be guided by the evidence in a case and the applicable law, not by partisan, political considerations. Political pressure should never sway a prosecutor’s decision-making.
Political independence of the United States Department of Justice took center stage at last month’s confirmation hearing for Merrick Garland, President Joseph Biden’s nominee for attorney general, who was pressed by legislators about what is supposed to be a fundamental norm. Garland insisted that he would oppose any attempt by the White House to politicize the Justice Department, telling the Senate Judiciary Committee: “I am not the president’s lawyer; I am the United States’ lawyer.”