The administration has said it fears that a "rogue" prosecutor could use the court as a forum for harassing or initiating political stunts against American officials.

Mr. Cooper reserved his harshest criticism for the Durham County district attorney, Michael B. Nifong, at one point even depicting him as a "rogue prosecutor."

He referred to Nifong as a "rogue" prosecutor.

Yes, it was a rogue prosecutor and the young men were indeed innocent of the charge.

In April, North Carolina's attorney general, Roy A. Cooper, dismissed all the charges, saying there was no evidence of an attack and calling Mr. Nifong "a rogue prosecutor."

Judge Block suggested that Hynes - who is now up for reelection - had failed to take steps to curb Vecchione, who has been accused of being a rogue prosecutor.

On April 12, 2007, the attorney general, in declaring Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann innocent, also called Nifong a "rogue prosecutor".

Lawyers for the defendants have portrayed Mr. Convertino as a rogue prosecutor who withheld evidence in a potentially star-making case.

The report barely mentioned Michael B. Nifong, the Durham County district attorney whom Mr. Cooper described on April 11 as a "rogue prosecutor" who had rushed to judgment.

One year later, the charges against the players were dropped and the North Carolina attorney general called the district attorney, Michael B. Nifong, a "rogue prosecutor" in a "tragic rush to accuse."