Judge Rakoff: Gov’t Choice To Sue Companies, Not Execs, “Disturbing”

With the statute of limitations on actions leading to the 2008 financial crisis running out, the legal doctrine of “willfull blindness” could hold top financial executives accountable, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the Federal District Court in Manhattan told New York Times reporter Adam Liptak. Rakoff is critical of the Justice Department’s reasons for holding back on prosecuting high-ranking individuals in association with bad business practices that nearly collapsed the global financial market, specifically calling Attorney General Eric Holder’s hesitation to pursue individuals – sometimes referred to as “too big to jail” – a disturbing sign of the department’s “disregard for equality under the law.”