We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Language Humanities

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Theology

What is a Special Prosecutor?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated Feb 27, 2024
Our promise to you
LanguageHumanities is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At LanguageHumanities, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

A special prosecutor is a prosecutorial lawyer from the private sector chosen to investigate, indict and prosecute government officials. While prosecuting a government official suspected of illegal activity would normally fall to a US attorney, a district attorney or an attorney general, the close political relationship of one branch of government to another would suggest that a prosecution conducted by someone employed by the same government, or same branch of government may not be impartial. In these cases, the government may ask a private sector lawyer to serve as special prosecutor, so that no partiality exists in pursuing the case.

Many countries employ a special prosecutor when it comes to cases where a government official stands accused. Partiality may exist with lawyers working for the government already because they may have a direct relationship with the accused, they may have gained political power through the defendant’s political position, or they may be employed by the accused. On the other hand, if the government-employed prosecutor is openly opposed to the defendant’s political party, he or she may prosecute injudiciously. Thus in most cases, a special prosecutor must be employed so that no relationship between the defendant and the prosecutor exists.

In the 2006/2007 trials that accused Scooter Libby of leaking confidential information about a member of the CIA, Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed special prosecutor. A special prosecutor with significant fame was Leon Jaworski, who was appointed as the prosecutor in the case of the United States v. Nixon. Jaworski, after pursuing the case for 11 months quit suddenly. He was angry that President Ford had already issued a presidential pardon to former President Nixon, prior to the conclusion of the trial. Further, as he’s stated in interviews since, he missed his home in Texas.

Special prosecutor Kenneth Starr was well known for his pursuit of President Clinton during first the Whitewater Scandal, and then the Monica Lewinsky Sex Scandal. Though Starr as prosecutor did impeach Clinton, the senate voted to acquit him.

LanguageHumanities is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen , Writer
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a LanguageHumanities contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Related Articles

Discussion Comments

By Buster29 — On Feb 12, 2014

Some state and county court systems also call special prosecutors to handle high profile cases. Sometimes the regular prosecutors have to take themselves off a case because of a personal or professional connection with the defendant, too.

My wife had to testify in a local murder trial that was receiving national media attention. The special prosecutor was a state-level attorney who had a high conviction rate. He tried some legal tactics that were a little questionable, but he did get a conviction during the first trial. A judge later overturned the verdict, citing prosecutorial misconduct. The special prosecutor failed to reveal the existence of an FBI report to the defense attorneys.

Tricia Christensen

Tricia Christensen

Writer

With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a LanguageHumanities contributor,...
Read more
LanguageHumanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

LanguageHumanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.