What Does it Take for a Rogue Prosecutor to be Disbarred?

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March 12, 2026

What Does it Take for a Rogue Prosecutor to be Disbarred?

New York Law Journal

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What does it take for a New York prosecutor to be disbarred for misconduct that puts innocent people in jail? We don’t know the answer because, so far as we can tell, that never happens. The procedures for attorney discipline in New York are so deficient, deficient by “design and operation” according to NYU law professor Stephen Gillers, that discipline occurs largely in secret, takes many years, and often results in at most a slap on the wrist. (Stephen Gillers, Lowering the Bar: How Lawyer Discipline in New York Fails to Protect the Public, 17 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 485 (2014)) Worst of all, rogue prosecutors typically get a free pass.

To continue reading Gregory L. Diskant's article in the New York Law Journal, click here (a subscription may be required to view).

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