4 ms·

> Is there any area of the government whose sole role is protecting the rights of the people against the government? In the US, a form of grand jury which is f

> Is there any area of the government whose sole role is protecting the rights of the people against the government? In the US, a form of grand jury which is far more expansive than the indictment rubber-stamping machine most are familiar with, and which has largely fallen into disuse, acted in such a capacity on a local level. They had extensive, autonomous powers to investigate anything from mundane bureaucratic crap (think "this pothole still hasn't been fixed!") to corruption. A few states, like California, maintain this in one form or another, but they don't often get a lot of attention these days. Once in a great while, a rubber-stamp grand jury discovers they still technically have vast powers, goes "rogue", and brings down the local good-ol'-boys network. We need more of these, and we need them on a federal level with powers to investigate all federal agencies.

legutierr 13y ago
> Once in a great while, a rubber-stamp grand jury discovers they still technically have vast powers, goes "rogue", and brings down the local good-ol'-boys network. Do you know of any specific instances of this occurring? I'm sure it would make for interesting reading.
- nknighthb 13y ago
  It would, if it were something that got documented well. Grand jury investigations are secret, so we mostly hear about the results rather than the how, and on the rare occasions something like this happens, it's almost always small town. The highest-profile case I can point you to is somewhat disappointing. A few years ago, a grand jury in Harris County (Houston), Texas kicked the prosecutors out and proceeded to run its own investigation into issues surrounding BAT vans. They didn't return criminal indictments before disbanding, but made clear there were ethical violations. Last I heard, though, the DA's office had succeeded in thoroughly pissing off some local judges and was under investigation by a special prosecutor and yet another grand jury for intimidation of jurors and other misconduct involving the first grand jury. I don't know what's happened since.

legutierr 13y ago

> Once in a great while, a rubber-stamp grand jury discovers they still technically have vast powers, goes "rogue", and brings down the local good-ol'-boys network. Do you know of any specific instances of this occurring? I'm sure it would make for interesting reading.

nknighthb 13y ago
It would, if it were something that got documented well. Grand jury investigations are secret, so we mostly hear about the results rather than the how, and on the rare occasions something like this happens, it's almost always small town. The highest-profile case I can point you to is somewhat disappointing. A few years ago, a grand jury in Harris County (Houston), Texas kicked the prosecutors out and proceeded to run its own investigation into issues surrounding BAT vans. They didn't return criminal indictments before disbanding, but made clear there were ethical violations. Last I heard, though, the DA's office had succeeded in thoroughly pissing off some local judges and was under investigation by a special prosecutor and yet another grand jury for intimidation of jurors and other misconduct involving the first grand jury. I don't know what's happened since.