Judge Cormac Carney: Words To Remember

Here is the transcript of the hearing in which Judge Cormac Carney granted Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss in U.S. v. William Ruehle. Ruehle was Broadcom’s former CFO. The dismissal was based on prosecutorial misconduct (primarily witness intimidation by AUSA Andrew Stolper) and insufficient evidence. Carney also dismissed the Indictment against Broadcom’s co-founder and former CEO Henry Nicholas, who had not yet gone to trial. The Nicholas dismissal was based solely on prosecutorial misconduct involving witness intimidation. Carney had previously thrown out the guilty plea of Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli and dismissed the felony information to which Samueli pled guilty.

There were stirring and memorable words spoken at the hearing, and the transcript is well worth reading in its entirety. Here is a portion of Judge Carney’s closing remarks:

NOW, I’M SURE THERE ARE GOING TO BE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE CRITICAL OF MY DECISION IN THIS CASE AND ARGUE THAT I’M BEING TOO HARD ON THE GOVERNMENT. I STRONGLY DISAGREE. I HAVE A SOLEMN OBLIGATION TO HOLD THE GOVERNMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION. I’M DOING NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS. AND I ASK MY CRITICS TO PUT THEMSELVES IN THE SHOES OF THE ACCUSED.

YOU ARE CHARGED WITH SERIOUS CRIMES AND, IF CONVICTED ON THEM, YOU WILL SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN PRISON. YOU ONLY HAVE THREE WITNESSES TO PROVE YOUR INNOCENCE AND GOVERNMENT HAS INTIMIDATED AND IMPROPERLY INFLUENCED EACH ONE OF THEM. IS THAT FAIR? IS THAT JUSTICE? I SAY ABSOLUTELY NOT.