Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I feel like some sort punishment is due towards ruthless opportunistic people like these. (I would say the same about the people who pursued Swartz even after MIT & JSTOR dropped the case.) How could you possibly prosecute people for the Swartz case? They were simply seeking the punishment that the law specifies. If you don't like the law, then lobby to have it changed. If you want it to be less vigorously enforced…
There is following the law, and there is knowingly conviction of an innocent. This is the second one, and IMO there really should be penalties for this.
Now I'm wondering what it would be like if fake honeypot cases with actors scripted with an obviously inappropriate implicit offer of a seemingly lucrative reward for straying from true justice were routinely run as a part of policy to catch bad lawyers and judges. I don't see how it could hurt for them to be subjected to ongoing surprise tests of whether they're worthy of being involved in the justice system. Heck, let's extend it to politicians while we're at it.