A recent article in the Washington Times critical of Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby raises the possibility that she is, shall we say, too "close" to individuals involved in the Freddie Gray case ("Baltimore prosecutor under fire for political, celebrity conduct," May 12). From her own statement, it may be concluded that she has already taken sides against those police officers and in favor of rioters whom she claimed to have heard clearly. Ms. Mosby even alluded to the fact that she was one of them and that their time had come! Her husband is a City Council member who clearly has interest in what she has done, relative to the rioting in the area of the city that he represents. The attorney for the deceased is a contributor to her campaign. Finally, she sat on the stage with Prince who gave a concert favoring the deceased while accusing the police.
Surprisingly, her bizarre actions in the case have elicited response from some well-known lawyers who disagree with her conduct so far, some even predicting that she has so prejudiced the case, that the possibility exists that all charges may eventually be dropped! Certainly, her actions have cause for concern about her professional judgment, competency, and knowledge of, and appreciation for, the law which she is sworn to prosecute without malice!
Baltimore's Rep. Elijah Cummings regards Ms. Mosby as "brilliant," an assessment that challenges his own understanding of the criminal justice system. Her job is to seek justice, no question about that. But apparently she believes that it is also her prerogative to dispense that justice and it is there that she falls on her face. She has no authority to "apply" justice, that's the job of the court, not the prosecutor. As President Barack Obama would say, Ms. Mosby is absolutely junior varsity and should recuse herself to avoid personal embarrassment, if nothing else.
Robert L. DiStefano, Abingdon