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I don't know if I ever want to try to be an AUSA, but I haven't ruled it out. I'll be heading to a big law firm to work in litigation or labor/employment.

Is it a death sentence (no pun intended) for future POSSIBLE (not probable) AUSA hopefuls to do a clinic in law school defending inmates on death row?

No. Even in Texas, doing DP clinic won't keep you out of DA's office. I know of a person who was very, very active in working against the death penalty down here who now works in the AG's criminal appeals office occasionally handling capital appeals.

Anonymous User wrote:I don't know if I ever want to try to be an AUSA, but I haven't ruled it out. I'll be heading to a big law firm to work in litigation or labor/employment.

Is it a death sentence (no pun intended) for future POSSIBLE (not probable) AUSA hopefuls to do a clinic in law school defending inmates on death row?

We had a US attorney speak to us in class last year. He said that you can request not to have death penalty cases if you are against it. So even if you don't want to try the cases you can still be a AUSA.

The answer may vary from office-to-office (in the same way that some USAOs prefer applicants with Biglaw backgrounds, while others want folks coming from DA, AG, etc.)

For what it's worth, I've met an AUSA (working in New England) who had participated in my school's death penalty clinic.

Prosecutors' offices typically don't require the same cultish fanaticism that public defenders do.

Anonymous User wrote:I know of a person who was very, very active in working against the death penalty down here who now works in the AG's criminal appeals office occasionally handling capital appeals.

Maybe I'm just a cultish fanatic, but that don't make no damn sense.