We’ve covered some pretty gross abuses of power on this site in the past. Most of them have been judges, but if you were to order pulling rank to get out of a traffic stop, handcuffing a crying 13-year-old girl in a courtroom to prove a point of some kind, flexing your gun at litigants, yelling racial slurs and blaming it on medicine, and enslaving kids over a made-up law by what is most worthy of stepping down for, NY DA Sandra Doorley’s abuse of power would have to be at the bottom of the list. That said, wrong is still wrong and people have called for punishment ranging from calling for her resignation:
The video of the DA Sandra Doorley is absolutely shocking.
The arrogance, rudeness, and abuse of power to try and bully an officer at a traffic stop and failing to stop.
She should have some decency and resign.
— Dr. Opinionated (@_Dr_Anon) April 27, 2024
… to her disbarment:
Cruel DA Sandra Doorley, who had long abused her power to influence elections, kill bail reform, mass jail Black & brown people, & prosecute innocent people, just committed a felony by fleeing a traffic stop, then berated an officer while pledging to dismiss her case. Disbar her. https://t.co/PmKYvRHwG4
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) April 29, 2024
Now, is pulling rank over a traffic stop really a grievous enough violation to step down? I’m not sure, but it is a colorable justification — the only people who can brazenly act like the laws don’t apply to them and get away with it are Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Donald Trump from time to time. But, while we’re on the topic of things that DAs should step down for, can we start applying pressure to step down if and when it gets out that a prosecutor under their wing deliberately suppressed Brady evidence just so they can maintain a nice winning record? Feels rather performative to make an example out of Doorley for an abuse of power that’s like two rungs up from taking the entire box of donuts from the office party because no one can stop you. No one was hurt, she paid her ticket, made a public apology, and referred her case to another office to minimize the risk of bias.
Does trying to get out of a traffic stop mean that DA Doorley is no longer qualified to prosecute homicides? Maybe. I’m not really seeing the argument, but the decision is between her and public opinion.
Earlier: New York District Attorney Gets Caught Speeding, Blames Cop For Doing His Job
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
