State of Washington v. Monday

This court case is completed

This is a murder and assault case in which the prosecutor argued to the jury that “the code is black folk don’t testify against black folk. You don’t snitch to the police.” The prosecutor also used a fake accent in questioning an African-American witness, repeatedly asking about her contacts with the “po-leese.” The Court of Appeals recognized that the prosecutor’s conduct was improper but upheld the defendant’s conviction because defense counsel failed to object and because “the strength of the evidence overcame any prejudice” to the defendant. The Washington Supreme Court granted review, and ACLU-WA filed an amicus brief in discussing why the Court should find prosecutorial misconduct, and explaining the connection between that misconduct and racism in the criminal justice system in Washington.

Explore More: