The Law: A Girl's Reputation

In theory, every prosecutor is supposedly so much more interested in justice than convictions that he willingly shares his evidence with the defense. In reality, hardly a D.A. alive is about to do any such thing—which is precisely why the Maryland Court of Appeals has been forced to take a stab at defining exactly how much a D.A. can keep the defense in the dark.

In 1961 three young Montgomery County Negroes were charged with raping a 16-year-old white girl who had parked with her white boy friend at a remote spot near Spencerville along the Patuxent River. They offered a classic...

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