Commission to Reform the Federal Grand Jury

The Commission to Reform the Federal Grand Jury is comprised of prosecutors, defense lawyers, and law professors who studied the federal grand jury system for two years before making its report. The commission asserts that the federal grand jury has changed from being an investigative body designed to be a safeguard against government zeal to one that is a rubber stamp for prosecutors. In order to once again protect American citizens from prosecutorial misconduct, the commission recommends that lawyers be allowed to accompany their clients and consult with them behind the closed doors of the jury chamber. Several states allow attorneys to consult with their clients in the grand jury room with no adverse effects, and this right should be extended to those being questioned by a federal grand...