By: jackie.sauter

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John J. McCarthy is a bit of a movie aficionado. In my story in this week’s Maryland Lawyer, he said discovery rules that take effect July 1, requiring prosecutors to disclose a host of information without so much as a request by the defense remind him of a scene in the 1992 movie, “My Cousin Vinny.”

In the scene, the title character, an inexperienced criminal defense attorney, played by Joe Pesci, thinks he has tricked the prosecutor into surrendering information helpful to his client. Vinny’s ego is quickly deflated by his fiancée, played by Marisa Tomei, when she tells him — in no uncertain terms – that the prosecutor was required to give him the information.

Been a while since you’ve seen it? Refresh your recollection here.

STEVE LASH, Legal Affairs Writer