Ex-Watergate prosecutor calls for special counsel to review dropping of charges in NYC Mayor Adams corruption case News
Billie Grace Ward from New York, USA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ex-Watergate prosecutor calls for special counsel to review dropping of charges in NYC Mayor Adams corruption case

Former prosecutor Nathaniel Akerman urged a federal judge overseeing the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams to appoint a special counsel to review the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) abrupt request to drop charges on Monday. Akerman was a Watergate prosecutor, and his move comes amid growing criticism of the DOJ’s handling of the case.

The motion was filed on behalf of the nonpartisan group Common Cause, arguing that the DOJ’s dismissal bid risks the establishment of a dangerous precedent for political interference in judicial proceedings. The rule was established during the Watergate scandal, wherein prosecutors were given independence in politically sensitive cases. Three other ex-US attorneys also submitted arguments to Justice Dale E. Ho, saying what was at stake was “far more than an internal prosecutorial dispute about an individual case” and suggested that Ho had first learnt why the Justice Department wanted the charges dismissed and whether its reasons were pretextual.

In response, Judge Ho ordered Mayor Adams and prosecutors to appear before the court. The court maintained that the requirement for prosecutors to obtain leave from court before a dismissal serves as a check and balance to ensure the termination of pending prosecutions is not clearly contrary to the manifest public interest.

The events have led to significant turmoil within the department and prompted resignations from career prosecutors who oppose the decision. This comes after the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon resigned last Thursday in response to the request to drop charges. The former lead prosecutor Hagan Scotten also resigned a day later, contending that the dismissal is an improper use of prosecutorial discretion. All of this comes after  Adams was indicted in a corruption investigation in September 2024.

The situation has drawn parallels to the Watergate scandal due to the alleged political interference in judicial proceedings. Whether Eric Adams will be prosecuted remains to be a developing story. 

THIS DAY @ LAW

Treaty of Paris ends Crimean War

On March 30, 1856, representatives of Great Britain, France, Sardinia, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Paris of 1856, ending the Crimean War. The treaty confirmed Russia's loss of power and territory a result of the war. The Black Sea region and some Russian islands were demilitarized, and Russia lost its influence over Romanian principalities and Christians in the Ottoman Empire under the terms of the treaty.