Amanda Knox

In late 2008, a number of Seattle-area residents, including lawyer Anne Bremner and King County Superior Court judge Mike Heavey, founded the Friends of Amanda in order to provide support for Knox. Over the following year they would go on to hold fundraisers to pay for Knox' defense, lobby lawmakers, and conduct public relations activities. News reports credit them with success in turning media focus towards the conduct of the prosecution, especially that of Mignini. However, Heavey was later accused of violating Washington state's Code of Judicial Conduct for his letters to members of the Italian judiciary on behalf of Knox; the charges characterised the letters as an attempt to use his office to influence private interests in judicial proceedings.
• Senator Maria Cantwell
On 4 December 2009, after the announcement of the verdicts on Knox and Sollecito, Maria Cantwell, United States Senator for Washington, stated that evidence against Knox was insufficient, that Knox had been subjected to "harsh treatment" following her arrest and that there had been "negligence" in the handling of evidence.