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Episode

Will The State's Attorney Charge Fed Officials After Midway Blitz?

Podcast
The Block Club Chicago Podcast
Published
Mar 17, 2026
Duration seconds
1045
Processing state
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Summary

Legal expert Mike Leonard analyzes the jurisdictional hurdles facing the Cook County State's Attorney in prosecuting federal agents involved in Operation Midway Blitz. The discussion explores the tension between local accountability and federal immunity for officers acting under executive orders.

Topics

  • Cook County State's Attorney
  • Operation Midway Blitz
  • Federal Law Enforcement
  • Prosecutorial Discretion
  • Federal Immunity
  • Criminal Law
  • Border Patrol
  • Public Accountability

Highlights

  • Main idea: Federal immunity makes it highly unlikely for a county prosecutor to successfully charge federal agents acting within their official scope of duty
  • Failure mode: The U.S. Attorney's Office may decline to investigate due to political pressure from the executive branch, leaving a gap in accountability
  • Legal tension: While state law violations may exist, the precedent for local prosecutors challenging federal law enforcement is almost unprecedented
  • Practical takeaway: A special prosecutor could be appointed to conduct an independent investigation if the State's Attorney faces conflicts of interest
  • Core conflict: The lack of action from federal prosecutors creates an unsatisfying vacuum for communities seeking justice for alleged misconduct

Chapters

  1. 1:00 The Role of the State's Attorney: An introduction to how the Cook County State's Attorney's office receives information and decides whether to pursue criminal charges.
  2. 5:00 The Challenge of Federal Immunity: Examining the legal difficulty of charging federal officers who are allegedly executing presidential orders.
  3. 7:00 The Breakdown of Federal Independence: A discussion on why the U.S. Attorney's Office might be unable or unwilling to investigate misconduct due to executive influence.
  4. 10:00 The Possibility of a Special Prosecutor: Exploring the mechanism of appointing an independent team to handle large-scale investigations or conflicts of interest.
  5. 15:00 Chicago's Independent Media Landscape: A brief look at the resurgence of print-only publications like The Pub in Bucktown.