Friedland, professor of law, spoke with the Washington Post about a special grand jury being convened in Washington, D.C.
Elon University Professor of Law Steve Friedland provided legal analysis for an Aug. 12 Washington Post article examining the Justice Department’s decision to convene a special grand jury in Washington, D.C., an uncommon legal mechanism that can focus on a single case or group of related cases and issue a report following its investigation.
The article, “Pirro, in rare move, convenes special grand jury in Washington,” reports that the special grand jury will be overseen by Steven Vandervelden, an ally of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. It remains unclear what the grand jury will investigate.
Friedland explained that special grand juries are governed by strict procedures but also provide prosecutors with some flexibility in how they conduct investigations.
“This could be very interesting,” Friedland told The Washington Post. “Each administration has its own approach to how it enforces the law and how it uses the tools available to it.”
Unlike a typical grand jury, a special grand jury focuses on a single case or related cases. It can also issue a report at the conclusion of its investigation, potentially naming individuals even when prosecutors do not have enough evidence to bring criminal charges.