Washington Prosecutor’s Office Disqualified in Murder Case

An entire county prosecutor’s office must be disqualified in most Washington state cases where the elected prosecutor who leads the office has previously represented a criminal defendant in the same case or a related one, the Washington Supreme Court said in a murder case.

Changes to professional conduct rules in 2006 don’t supersede a 1988 opinion requiring disqualification in these circumstances, an opinion which remains good law, the split high court said Thursday.

Efforts to screen off prosecutors who have previously represented a criminal defendant are appropriate for a deputy prosecuting attorney, but not for an elected county attorney, the ...