Opinion ID: 2155795
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The prosecutor's obligation.

Text: At the conclusion of the government's rebuttal argument, Anderson's attorney orally moved for a mistrial or, in the alternative, for leave to present surrebuttal. Counsel claimed that the prosecutor's closing, and especially her rebuttal, contained numerous improper arguments which, collectively, deprived his client of a fair trial. The judge found a number of counsel's claims persuasive, and he made it clear to the prosecutor that in several instances she had crossed the line. The judge also agreed to take certain remedial measures in response to two of the prosecutor's improprieties, and he in fact did so at the beginning of his charge to the jury. The defendants contend, however, that the steps taken by the judge were insufficient to cure the prejudice, and they insist that the prosecutor's actions were sufficiently severe to warrant reversal of the defendants' convictions.