The criminal bar of Harris County, Texas, was busy following Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, a blog by an anonymous prosecutor chronicling the doings at the local courthouse.  The author, who called himself A Harris County Lawyer, provides a sort of counter-weight to the Texas Tornado, Mark Bennett, at Defending People.  While it was more local than most blawgs, there was plenty of substance to read from the prosecutor’s perspective.

An election changed all that.  When Pat Lykos was elected Harris County District Attorney, the campaign promise of no reprisals was immediately forgotten, and A Harris County Lawyer, who supported another for the job, quickly learned a lesson in integrity.  A Harris County Lawyer became Murray Newman, assistant district attorney until the end of the year, when he will turn over a new leaf and join the side of truth and justice.  Still, he had nothing but admiration and praise for his co-workers and they job they did on behalf of the public they serve.

But that wasn’t the last lesson he was to learn about being a prosecutor.

Hell, even today I learned that someone that I considered to be my friend was railing against my “toxic blog” in an e-mail to all the misdemeanor prosecutors. That kind of hurt, but I guess those types of things are going to be expected in the days to come under the Transparent Lykos Administration.

So much for the notion that integrity is a good thing in the DAs office.  Murray was a good prosecutor from everything I’ve heard, particularly from his adversaries (who are usually the best judges of this sort of thing).  It’s understandable that a person who has just survived a tough campaign for public office puts an undue premium on loyalty, confusing the job of prosecutor with that of Illinois governor.  Campaigns can easily skew one’s vision of right and wrong.

But the comment that Life at HCCCJC is toxic is pretty strong.  Toxic as in poisonous.  As it turns out, the new description came from someone with whom Murray was long associated, and who Murray had previously called friend.  This comment, also highlighted at Bennett’s place, explains what came down:

Murray, I am a misdemeanor prosecutor who received Donna Goode’s email calling your blog toxic. I was very disheartened with what she said.

For whatever reason, Donna has found herself in good standing with the new administration (she IS a hard working prosecutor from what I have heard). But, the fact that she sends us an email calling you toxic is disturbing. I guess that is sort of the shot across the bow. Does that mean we aren’t supposed to be seen with you.

It means that there is no greater purity in the prosecutor’s office then anywhere else in government,  When a good, maybe even great, prosecutor gets canned because he wasn’t out waving the flag on day 1 for the candidate who ultimately won (and who he supported in the general election, by the way), the message is clear.  Prosecutors are not immune from politics.  Those who say that are just haven’t learned the lesson yet.

Murray Newman learned the lesson, much to his personal pain as he felt that he contributed to the betterment of the people of Harris County through his work in the District Attorney’s office.  Now, he’ll have to contribute from the other side.  Welcome Murray.