POLS 4905 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Exculpatory Evidence, Legal Ethics, Qualified Immunity
27 Dec 2019
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Document Summary
Legal ethics are principles of conduct by which members of the legal profession are expected to observe in their practices and applications of laws. Legal ethics seeks to promote public respect for the legal system through just and equal professional standards of conduct specific to each legal profession. A defiance of legal ethics can lead to, as the most severe sanction, disbarment; however, the typical remedy for legal mistakes made during the trial is an appellate court reversal. Legal ethics pose advantages as well as challenges that prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges must learn to overcome. Because prosecutors essentially work for and represent the government in cases, they enjoy absolute immunity complete freedom from civil liability, but only in cases regarding core prosecutorial functions as advocates for the government. In the instance in which prosecutors are not representing the government, they are granted qualified immunity for their actions associated with courtroom advocacy.
