General Definitions and Purposes

• Pages: 19-65

19

BLACK LETTER WITH COMMENTARY

Part I. General DefInItIons anD PurPoses

Standard 8-1.1. Purposes of the Standards

(a) These Standards have three primary goals:

(i) First, they are intended to provide a guide to best prac-

tices for lawyers and other professionals involved in

criminal cases, including investigators and members of

law enforcement, with respect to communications with

the public;

(ii) Second, they are intended to provide a guide to best

practices for lawyers who provide public commentary

or consult on criminal cases in which they are not per-

sonally involved;

(iii) Third, they are intended to provide a guide to best prac-

tices for judges and judicial employees in anticipating

and responding to public interest in criminal cases, and

ensuring that jurors are not exposed to extrajudicial

information about a case.

(b) With respect to each of these goals, these Standards reflect the

views of the ABA that:

(i) a transparent and open criminal justice system is of crit-

ical importance in our democracy;

(ii) lawyers and others involved in the criminal justice sys-

tem have a duty to ensure that criminal cases are con-

ducted fairly and that verdicts are rendered solely on

the basis of the evidence presented in court;

(iii) lawyers and others involved in the criminal justice sys-

tem also have a duty to promote respect for and confi-

dence in the criminal justice system; and

(iv) developments in information technology and in how

individuals obtain information have made it unnecessary

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