Opinion ID: 1369513
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: disqualification of assistant prosecutor.

Text: An assistant Commonwealth's attorney who actively participated in the prosecution of this case had been the trial court's law clerk when the suppression hearing was held and attended the suppression hearing in that capacity. She took notes for the purpose of preparing a memorandum of facts and law on the issues raised by the suppression motion. Harrison's motion to disqualify her from the prosecution team was overruled. KRS 15.733(2)(e) provides: Any prosecuting attorney shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which he. . . . . . . . (e) Has served in private practice or government service, other than as a prosecuting attorney, as a lawyer or rendered a legal opinion in the matter in controversy. . . . As will be discussed infra, the trial court never ruled on Harrison's suppression motion; thus, the prosecutor/former law clerk did not prepare a legal memorandum on the issue. Thus, we need not address whether the preparation of a legal memorandum, or even a draft opinion, by a judicial law clerk at the direction of her judicial employer constitutes rendering a legal opinion, especially where, as here, the law clerk was then still awaiting the results of her bar examination.