Dear Mr. Massa,

As young attorneys in Indianapolis, we are extremely disappointed and quite honestly, disgusted, by your recent campaign advertisement condemning Terry Curry for defending a child molester on appeal. Your ad is a slap in the face to our profession, the judicial process and the values which we should all stand for.

The oath we have all taken, including yourself and Mr. Curry states in part: “I do solemnly swear or affirm that: I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Indiana; I will maintain the respect due to courts of justice and judicial officers; I will not counsel or maintain any action, proceeding, or defense which shall appear to me to be unjust, but this obligation shall not prevent me from defending a person charged with crime in any case”. In upholding the Constitution we are all mindful of the Sixth (6th) amendment which affords defendants the right to adequate counsel.

Your ad against Mr. Curry is essentially condemning him for upholding our oath and protecting the Constitution. As attorneys we should all be doing everything in our power to bolster the confidence in our judicial system and the officers of the court. In running your misleading advertisement that condemns an officer of the court for doing his job, you have violated the very oath the office of the prosecutor should be so desperately trying to abide by following the current administration. You have disrespected the courts of justice, judicial officers, and the Constitution. Your condemnation of the actions of a fellow attorney simply upholding our sworn oath and the Constitution raises serious questions about your own integrity. Do you not believe everyone has the right to a fair trial and a good defense? Do you simply prefer that defense attorneys not do their job so that your office won’t have to do their job? How does this make you different that Mr. Brizzi?

We had heard from our colleagues that you were the most qualified candidate for the prosecutor’s office. We were told by many people that worked with you at the Marion County Prosecutor’s office as well as the US Attorney’s Office that you knew how to run an office and would invest in training young prosecutors to uphold the values of our profession. We were told you were a man of integrity. Based on their recommendations you had our vote. After viewing your advertisement that is no longer the case. As attorneys Mr. Massa we are all required to uphold the constitution and advocate for our clients. It is vital that we ensure the system works to defend the rights of everyone, not just the government. We can not believe that a prosecutorial candidate needs to be reminded of that.

Shame on you. Your ad is misleading and a disgrace to our profession. We urge you to issue an apology to Mr. Curry to preserve your reputation in the legal community.