As detailed in the Smoking Gun, this morning, disbarred former Durham County, North Carolina prosecutor, Mike Nifong has filed for bankruptcy, listing over 180 million dollars worth of liabilities due to pending lawsuits by the Duke lacrosse players.I practiced juvenile criminal defense in Durham County, North Carolina for one year. In fact, I was there when the lacrosse investigation began. I remember thinking that it was disgusting that Nifong appeared on television and called the “suspects” hooligans and otherwise prejudiced them in the court of public opinion – and this was extremely early into the investigation. I remember saying to somebody that the public should have some type of protection against rogue prosecutors such as Nifong. I never would have believed that he would end up getting disbarred. We should all applaud the great State of North Carolina for sticking it to him and making a great example out of him.But, the fact is, that this happens all the time. Sadly, when it happens to poor people, who cannot spend millions of dollars on expensive and exclusive criminal defense attorneys, it goes completely unnoticed.Don’t get me wrong, I hate Duke as much as any other UNC Chapel Hill alumnus, but no one deserves to be used as pawns in a DA’s race-baiting reelection campaign. – John H. Bryan, Attorney at Law