Welcome back to the Politics of Prosecution Podcast! Welcome to the Politics of Prosecution Podcast. This podcast examines the interaction between politics, broadly defined, and criminal prosecution on the local, state and federal levels. Our goal is to produce a variety of shows using different media. Our first series of eight episodes is produced by students in High Point University’s Honors Program. They will look at a variety of issues raised by ongoing events.
This ninth episode looks at the idea of prosecutorial discretion. Prosecutors hold a lot of power with little to no checks on this power. Prosecutors have extreme discretion when determining which cases to take and what charges are appropriate. To examine prosecutorial discretion, we dive into the case involving the shooting of Rayshard Brooks by Atlanta police officer, Garrett Rolfe. Following a timeline of events, we discuss the charges brought against Rolfe by prosecutor Paul Howard. We conclude with a conversation about the potential pressures that are placed on the prosecutor, specifically public opinion and legislative power.

The sources used for reference in this episode are:

• https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/15/what-we-know-how-rayshard-brooks-killing-led-protests-atlanta-wendys/3189901001/
• https://www.wabe.org/attorneys-for-former-atlanta-officer-charged-in-rayshard-brooks-slaying-want-prosecutor-removed/
• https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/paul-howard-ousted-after-serving-more-than-2-decades-as-fulton-county-da
• https://advance.lexis.com/container/?pdmfid=1000516&crid=498c7b76-75af-4926-8ba7-5145e8de8fcd&config=00JAAzZDgzNzU2ZC05MDA0LTRmMDItYjkzMS0xOGY3MjE3OWNlODIKAFBvZENhdGFsb2fcIFfJnJ2IC8XZi1AYM4Ne&ecomp=wg7dk&prid=fd4182ad-3dd6-4a09-87fd-4ba65e31c5ed
• https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/07/08/889160799/georgia-congressman-asks-doj-to-investigate-da-handling-rayshard-brooks-case
• https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/after-day-protests-atlanta-more-people-react-rayshard-brooks-death/twGJvcVGzKSAH0BXEmEOfO/
• https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/atlanta-interim-police-chief-says-da-was-too-quick-bring-charges-rayshard-brooks-shooting/WE2ERNY22RGQTCCGPCRFAXYH7A/
• https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=565.021&bid=29265&hl=
• https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/490/386/
• Graham v. Connor, 490US386 (1989).

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