Disbarred

I don't know if this news makes me happy or sad.

RALEIGH, N.C. - District Attorney Mike Nifong will be disbarred for his disastrous prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, a disciplinary committee decided Saturday. Even the veteran prosecutor said the punishment was appropriate.

"This matter has been a fiasco. There's no doubt about it," said committee chairman F. Lane Williamson.

Nifong sat motionless, one hand resting over his mouth, as Williamson recounted how he engaged in dishonest and deceitful conduct. He said Nifong's early comments about the case — which included a confident proclamation that he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl" — were purposefully designed to boost his campaign for district attorney.

"At the time he was facing a primary, and yes, he was politically naive," Williamson said. "But we can draw no other conclusion that those initial statements he made were to further his political ambitions."

Nifong will not appeal the punishment, his lawyer said.

No question in my opinion, Two-time Knucklehead Nifong deserves the punishment. He toyed with three innocent people's lives, for political reasons. The trouble I see, is there are other prosecutions done for political motivations that didn't or will never get a 1/100th of the attention the Duke Lacrosse case got. How many we may never know. I've said it before, the justice system in this country is badly broken. Innocent people are too often treated like criminals by those in authority and those in authority feel they're above the law.

Also discussing Nifong- Kevin at Wizbang