Standing before judges and juries, representing the people of my home city and state, gave me extraordinary powers fresh out of our state’s law school. That prosecutorial privilege was bestowed on me in my mid-20s, just like it happened to Kamala Harris in Oakland. She actually became the San Francisco district attorney as she turned 40, defeating an incumbent Democrat who had been her boss by arguing he was weak on crime.
Harris’ first major presidential campaign ad emphasizes that she’s an experienced prosecutor. She’s depicted as “fearless,” and her extensive experience in law enforcement is highlighted. The ad touts her tough-on-crime approach, stating, “She put murderers and abusers behind bars,” while underscoring her dedication to public service by asserting, “Kamala Harris has always known who she represents.”
With apologies to public defender types (Biden, Clinton, Obama), America now needs an experienced courtroom prosecutor. We need her confidence and comfort. Veteran prosecutors embrace pressure. They look sociopathic defendants in the eye. They win over strangers with evidence, winning smiles and effective oratory.
Launching her presidential campaign on the historic Sunday Joe Biden withdrew, Harris immediately emphasized her roots as a Bay Area courtroom prosecutor. San Francisco’s former DA then proclaimed she knew Donald Trump’s type.
I was also a big-city prosecutor in the 1980s and 1990s. It was a wild time culminating in Denver’s infamous Summer of Violence (1993). Crack cocaine, street gangs and violent crime were rampant, but smart prosecution helped turn the tide in Denver, just like Harris did in San Francisco as its elected DA.
The late, great Norm Early, my legendary boss and the only elected Black District Attorney in Colorado history, knew and liked Kamala Harris. Norm broke racial barriers that Harris would clear two decades later in the Bay Area.
Colorado’s 39th Attorney General Phil Weiser, the only elected Jewish AG in Colorado history, recently hosted Kamala Harris and the Second Gentleman in Colorado. Colorado’s top law enforcement officer told me he loves being a prosecutor, that Vice President Harris was an outstanding attorney general, and that she is “all about solving problems.”
Harris’ impressive memoir, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” explains her love of big-city prosecution. Her first chapter is titled “For the People.” Producing justice sometimes requires a trial. But if there is reasonable doubt, the charge should be thrown out and the accused liberated. Justice and truth are the stock-in-trade of an ethical prosecutor. So is the Constitution.
Harris wouldn’t have lasted long as a prosecutor without competitiveness, compassion and resiliency. She knows how to light up a room and ask the tough questions. Criminal juries appreciate a prosecutor who exudes good humor, comfort and confidence. That’s exactly what American voters are craving.
But it’s not just about charisma. Harris has the experience to back it up. She’s reviewed more homicide files than most people have read menus. She’s taken on sexual predators, fraudsters and cheaters of all stripes. She’s hired scores of competitive prosecutors to fight for truth and justice.
America’s presidential electoral tide started to turn with Harris’ outstanding opening statement, in which she exhibited her command as she’s done in countless courtrooms before. This could be the kind of landslide that most criminal cases become. Think New York v. Trump. Voters, like jurors, will come to see that the prosecutor is right and the other side is wrong — way wrong!
The case against Trump is easy to make, and the inconsistent cases against Harris will fall apart. Tough prosecutors never let personal attacks slow their stride.
Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are a weird and humorless duo. Kamala Harris exudes joy and positivity. She also exudes power. Her political party has coalesced. Democratic party vice presidential aspirants, many seasoned prosecutors, are showing off their talents and deference to the top prosecutor, Vice President Harris.
At the LBJ Ranch, President Biden laid out the many reasons for U.S. Supreme Court reform. He once again recounted his decision to become a public defender to help poor Black defendants fight the government. That was then.
We need Kamala Harris now to win the case against Trump-Vance. Our next president must stand up to inevitable MAGA crap when they inevitably cry foul after losing. Post-verdict appeals are routine for prosecutors.
Donald Trump is America’s most famous criminal. We don’t need any more public defender presidents. Colorado’s Gov. Jared Polis praised Harris as a “tough as nails” prosecutor to CNN’s Laura Coates.
Vice President Harris has set her sights on the biggest electoral verdict in American history. How perfect is this matchup? A prosecutor in her prime versus a serial criminal and sex offender in serious decline. This could be a landslide win for prosecutor Harris, Democrats and democracy.
Prosecutor Harris seems up to the challenge. Her White House apprenticeship has served her and us well. As Team Trump calls Harris “soft on crime,” just remember: This is a courtroom prosecutor who regularly got Bay Area juries to convict. Having done that, defeating Trump may be a walk in Golden Gate Park — or better yet, up Pennsylvania Avenue.
Craig Silverman is a former Denver chief deputy DA. Craig is columnist at large for The Colorado Sun and an active Colorado trial lawyer with Craig Silverman Law, LLC.
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