prosecutor in the Postville immigration raid is nominated for assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. As every decent Iowa lawyer knows, that cookie-cutter prosecution of 300 Hispanics from the Agriprocessors' plant was a constitutional debacle.

In ex parte communications with the U.S. attorney, the federal judge agreed to be bound by the prosecutors' versions of the facts and sentences - the same for all 300 hundred - without input from any defense attorney.


The immigrants were forced under extreme pressure to take the prosecution's pre-baked deal with the judge, with inadequate interpreters and inadequate lawyers (as many as 17 defendants per lawyer). The U.S. attorney denied access to their immigration lawyers.

The prosecution committed constitutional-rights violations against this minority that a first-year law-school student could spot.

Did Stephanie Rose, a top federal criminal prosecutor, ever raise her voice in protest? Or had she already given up her professional independence and integrity rather than making an unpopular stand? What type of person should hold this powerful law-enforcement position?

These questions must be answered satisfactorily before Rose is confirmed.

- James A. Benzoni, Benzoni Law Office, Des Moines
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... /-1/NEWS04