The arrest several months ago of Amy Goodman, an award-winning journalist for Democracy Now, who was documenting the protests against the North Dakota Access Pipeline, should be a stark reminder to all of us of the importance of independent judges and prosecutors.
The State’s Attorney in North Dakota, Ladd R. Erickson, initially charged Goodman with trespassing following her report and film footage that showed the use of dogs and pepper spray against peaceful protesters. Once the State’s Attorney realized that a charge of trespass could not be sustained, he chose to charge her with rioting, notwithstanding the obvious plain-as-the-nose-on-your face fact that she was in North Dakota as a member of the press, reporting on a matter of great public importance. (Her film footage went viral and was viewed more than 14 million times on Facebook alone. The public was apparently interested in what she had to say.)
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