Speaking of prosecutorial excess, the case of Dr. Anna Pou — the former University of Texas Health Science Center professor and physician who was arrested last year in Louisiana on wrongful death charges for her actions in attempting to save lives during the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — was back in the news last week. The New Orleans coronor announced that he had not found evidence that would show that the cases were homicides, although he noted that he was continuing to gather evidence and had reached no final conclusion.
Dr. Pou’s case was transferred to Orleans Parish after Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti had labeled her and two nurses who were assisting her during the chaos as murderers. Just to make sure he got the most publicity possible for his lack of prosecutorial discretion, Foti repeated those charges on 60 Minutes several months ago. Ultimately, the decision on whether to prosecute will come down to Eddie Jordan, the District Attorney of New Orleans, who is still planning on presenting evidence to a grand jury. With the the coronerís current classification, what on earth is there to present to a grand jury?