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WASHINGTON – A judge has dismissed charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens because of prosecutorial misconduct and has ordered a criminal contempt investigation of the prosecutors. "In nearly 25 years on the bench, I've never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct that I've seen in this case," U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said in the opening moments of a hearing.

WASHINGTON — A furious federal judge on Tuesday took the extraordinary step of ordering that the prosecutors who bungled the case of former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska be investigated for possible criminal wrongdoing... --snip-- One F.B.I. agent, Chad Joy, has said in an affidavit that he sat in on meetings in which Stevens prosecutors were clearly aware that they were ignoring their professional obligations to turn over materials that the defense could use to counter the charges. Agent Joy, who still works for the bureau, took the unusual step of asking the government for official protection as a whistle-blower....

Former Alaska GOP Sen. Ted Stevens' conviction on public corruption charges has been thrown out by a Federal Judge because prosecutors mishandled and withheld evidence and witnesses. The video above is of CNN Analyst Jeffrey Toobin talking about the decision . . . . . . (Watch Video)

Corruption Charges Dismissed Against Former Senator WASHINGTON -- A federal judge set aside the conviction of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and appointed a special prosecutor to investigate possible criminal-contempt charges against federal prosecutors who the judge said repeatedly withheld evidence from defense attorneys. U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said, "In 25 years on the bench I have never seen anything approach the mishandling and misconduct I have seen in this case."

Brief biographical sketches of six federal prosecutors under investigation for mishandling the trial of former Sen. Ted Stevens. BRENDA MORRIS: A longtime prosecutor with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, Morris now serves as its principal deputy. She helped supervise the investigation into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and has prosecuted corruption cases around the country. She teaches corruption investigations within the Justice Department and is a professor at Georgetown Law School. A graduate of Howard University law school, she served as the lead attorney in the Stevens trial, giving the government's opening statement and cross-examining Stevens. NICHOLAS MARSH: One of...

As he ordered a highly unusual criminal probe of the federal lawyers who prosecuted former Sen. Ted Stevens, a federal judge delivered a blistering rebuke Tuesday of the Justice Department's actions in the case--and asserted that the department's failures extend beyond its failure to give the long-time Alaska politician a fair trial. In dismissing the public corruption case against Stevens, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court in Washington railed against a government agency that he said had committed unprecedented missteps in a feverish quest to secure the Republican senator's conviction. "In nearly 25 years on the bench, I...

Attorney General Eric Holder has warned his U.S. attorneys that misconduct in the Department of Justice will not tolerated, but he's also trying to nip in the bud any reluctance in his staff to tackle public corruption.Good government activists are warning that the dropping of all charges against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and the tossing of his seven felony convictions could give U.S. prosecutors cold feet in going after other politicians who are suspected of crimes. Already the lawyer for former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who was convicted of bribery and mail fraud, has urged Attorney General Eric Holder...