Attorney General Eric Holder has announced steps to enhance the Justice Department’s compliance with rules that require the government to turn over certain types of evidence to the defense in criminal cases.
The announcement comes after a federal judge threw out the conviction of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who a jury found guilty of lying about gifts he received from an oil company.
The conviction was voided because federal prosecutors did not give the defense notes of an interview that contradicted a key witness’s statement.
"I am committed to ensuring that our prosecutors are provided sufficient training to understand fully their discovery obligations, and that they receive the support and resources necessary to do their jobs in a manner consistent with the proud traditions of this department," Holder said.
"We will continue to review how cases are managed before, during and after charges are filed, and where there is room for improvement, we will make additional changes," he added.
The department said it would provide supplemental training to federal prosecutors on their discovery obligations in criminal cases as well as establish a working group of senior prosecutors and department officials from each component to review the discovery practices in criminal cases.