Philip S. Anderson

Philip S. Anderson is president of the American Bar Association, a private organization of the nation’s lawyers. The following viewpoint is excerpted from congressional testimony describing the ABA’s position on the independent counsel statute, which was up for reauthorization. Anderson argues that while the ABA previously supported the creation of independent counsels to investigate government corruption, it now has concluded that such a statute creates more problems than it solves. The concept of independent counsels is flawed, he contends, because of their total lack of accountability and their ability to pursue open-ended investigations of relatively trivial matters that violate the civil rights of those being investigated. Cases of possible corruption of high government officials can be handled by special prosecutors appointed by the attorney general, Anderson concludes...