Appeals Court Orders New Trial Judge For Zimmerman
Posted by Gateway Guest Blogger on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, 11:21 PM
By: Rachel Pulaski
In June George Zimmerman’s attorney filed a motion to disqualify Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. for fear that Judge Lester Jr. was incapable of providing a fair and impartial trial. Today, a Florida Appeals Court ruled in favor of that motion.
The Orlando Sentinel reported:
The Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach on Wednesday ruled that Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. in Sanford went too far when, among other things, he described Zimmerman as a manipulator.
It was “admittedly a close call,” wrote Judge C. Alan Lawson, but Lester’s actions, taken in total, would cause a reasonable person to fear that he is biased.
The next step is for Circuit Judge Alan Dickey in Sanford to pick a new judge. It’s expected to be Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson, 58, another felony trial judge in Sanford who has a reputation for handing down tough sentences.
She’s been a judge for 13 years, much of it on the criminal bench, although she was a civil litigation specialist in private practice.
There will be no appeal, according to Florida’s Office of Attorney General, which had argued in court paperwork that Lester should stay. He was not biased, wrote Assistant Attorney General Pamela Koller. He had merely given Zimmerman a “well-deserved tongue lashing.”
Special Prosecutor Angela Corey’s office, the one in charge of putting Zimmerman on trial, had no comment.
USA Today has more.
Previously
Detective in Zimmerman Case Says He Was Pressured to Press Charges
George Zimmerman Hides Out in Secret Safe House After Receiving Thousands of Death Threats
Confirmed: George Zimmerman Passed Lie Detector Test After Trayvon Shooting
ADVERTISEMENT
`
Mad Hatter commented:
I wonder if he’ll get a White Hispanic as a Judge?
tommy mc donnell commented:
george zimmerman is a victim of a lynching by the the democratic party-media complex. angela corey is another white prosecutor that is willing to sacrifice a white male to get the black vote, just like nifong.
Jeannie commented:
it takes a while to turn around a big ship. Slowly we’re turning.
mg4us commented:
Good for him but MSM very silent. .wonder why?
oldguy commented:
The MSM is silent because they don’t want this case to continue. The Florida governor better get his head out of his rear end or he will lose the next election. I know, I live in Brevard Florida.
Chris commented:
If he walks there will be a riot and the DOJ will probably fund it.
stonedome commented:
wow, lots of comments deleted…
#10 “If he walks there will be a riot and the DOJ will probably fund it.”
not if obama is voted out! the citizens have been preparing anyway…
stonedome commented:
“He was not biased, wrote Assistant Attorney General Pamela Koller. He had merely given Zimmerman a well-deserved tongue lashing.” that would obviously be a biased tongue lashing…Zimmerman fears for his life and doesn’t trust the “political class” to handle this problem correctly…hopefully this decision will provide a small amount of sanity when dealing with an outrageous charge of second degree murder.
Fred Beloit commented:
Proceed, madam, with the intended lynching. Your only problem is that the common sense stand-your-ground and self-defense laws of Florida were written for cases exactly like this one.
Ragspierre commented:
Fred, words mean things.
You really should not pwn yourself like you just did.
AuntieMadder commented:
Good. The merits, or lack thereof, of his having been charged aside, he deserves a fair trial as the Constitution guarantees all Americans.
Ragspierre commented:
Auntie, you will not find the term “fair trial” anywhere in the Constitution. Partly because the Framers eschewed terms like “fair”, as should we.
`