Is it not possible in the US jurisdictions to mount private prosecutions? There is a common law right to do so in England. Indeed, before the Crown Prosecution Service was established in 1984 - a fine year for bad laws in this country - prosecutions were usually handled by the Police, and were in theory private prosecutions. They are quite often started even now by private individuals; and the Attorney General has an old statutory authority to take them over or to stop them. But I do remember a number of recent cases of private prosecution for murder. None of these, I think, has succeeded: the reason the CPS refused to get involved was because of a lack of good evidence to get cases through the committal (grand jury) process. If this right doesn't exist in American common law, I shall think far less of your laws than I have so far. Sean Gabb Editor Free Life.