In SoCal, Judge Upholds Censure for 2 LA County Prosecutors

For months, Patrick Connolly and Anne Ingalls delayed the release of Thomas Lee Goldstein, a man wrongly convicted of murder. His conviction was overturned by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the court ordered Goldstein's release in December, but Goldstein was not released until April.

U.S. District Court Judge Dickran Tevrizian condemned and censured the prosecutors by name for their "cavalier attitude, ethical amnesia and questionable conduct."

Sean K. Kennedy, the deputy federal public defender who represented Goldstein, said the judge's decision made sense. "It was meant as a rebuke of the prosecutors," he said. "It appears that they believe that they have the right to ignore federal orders."