Inouye, Akaka Want Fairness in Evidence Disclosure
Sen. Daniel Inouye and Sen. Daniel Akaka were among senators who teamed up with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to introduce the Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act on Thursday.
The proposed legislation comes in response to news that the U.S. Justice Department permitted false testimony and repeatedly withheld evidence in the corruption trial of former Sen. Ted Stevens, who died in a 2010 plane crash.
The bill would require lawyers to disclose evidence that would exonerate a defendant, and to do so early in a case. Inouye was a witness in Stevens’ 2008 trial, and told a jury that he had “absolute faith” in Stevens, according to several news accounts from the time.
When asked about bipartisan cooperation, Inouye often points out the friendship he and Stevens had as proof that it’s possible.
Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
