2 DeLay judges out, another in
OK, this is getting to be just plain silly…nonetheless, can you blame Travis County DA Ronnie Earle for giving Dick DeGuerin a taste of his own medicine? Two perfectly qualified judges have now been recused from Rep. Tom DeLay’s trial, and why? Because Dick DeGuerin is trying to ensure that he can secure an ideologically reliable (i.e., Republican) judge to preside over his client’s trial. To call this a perversion of justice and a waste of taxpayer dollars would be something of an understatement, but I suppose one should admire DeGuerin for his chutzpah and his willingness to subvert the legal system in his effort to get his client a “fair” trial.
Of course, one you start down this road, you’d be well advised to be aware of the law of unintended consequences. Or, to trot out another cliche, when you open Pandora’s Box, you’d best expect the unexpected.
Administrative Judge B.B. Schraub, a Republican who was to have selected the judge for the case, withdrew after Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle filed a request to have him removed. Two days earlier, District Judge Bob Perkins was removed from the case at DeLay’s request because of his contributions to Democrats.
Schraub asked Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson to name a judge to preside over DeLay’s trial, and Jefferson selected semi-retired Senior Judge Pat Priest of San Antonio. Jefferson’s involvement, however, could invite yet another challenge.
Jefferson was endorsed by the DeLay-founded Texans for a Republican Majority in 2002.
And you don’t think Ronnie Earle isn’t going to have issues with Jefferson’s political leanings? Texas may be a red state, but Ronnie Earle certainly isn’t about to take this lying down.
The Jefferson endorsement news release listed DeLay co-defendant John Colyandro as a contact for the news media. Jefferson also in 2002 actively campaigned with Texans for a Republican Majority, or TRMPAC.
One campaign trip Jefferson made on behalf of TRMPAC used an airplane provided by San Antonio lawyer James Jonas, who is law partners with another DeLay co-defendant, Jim Ellis.
Jefferson also shared a campaign treasurer with TRMPAC, Bill Ceverha of Dallas. Also, Bill Ceverha of Dallas in 2002 was the campaign treasurer for both TRMPAC and Jefferson’s election campaign.
Of course, Dick DeGuerin, being the type who will argue that the Earth is flat is you pay him $400 an hour, sees no contradiction in Jefferson’s political entanglements. Jefferson is, after all, a Republican, so it’s all good.
DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin had said earlier that Jefferson’s connections to TRMPAC should not matter because his job of picking a new judge for the case is just administrative.
“What you’ve got to do is look at the judge he appoints” for potential bias, DeGuerin said.
Ah, you’ve got to love an attorney who can make a statement like that with a straight face, eh? This being Texas, where every aspect of public life, including the courts, has a political slant, finding a judge that is ideologically acceptable to both sides is a bit like trying to glue Jello to a wall. The best part of this whole sorry scenario is that we’re just getting started. We haven’t even gotten to voir dire yet. Now THAT should be entertaining, eh? I can see the jury questionnaires now….
Is Sen. Hillary Clinton the Spawn of Satan?
Is it true that Democrats drink the blood of Christian infants?
“Liberal” is to “Pedophile” as “Pat Robertson” is to ….?
“The AntiChrist” is a nickname for which Democratic politician?
Y/N: Our Glorious, Wise, Benevolent, and Beloved Leader, George W. Bush, is one of The Anointed.
There is no way that DeLay’s trial won’t be less a judicial event than a media circus. Much of the blame for that can be laid squarely at the feet of Dick DeGuerin. After all, you don’t see Ronnie Earle acting the part of media whore, do you? No, DeGuerin’s strategy is quickly beginning to become apparent. By turning DeLay’s trial into a circus, he no doubt hopes to be able to take the focus off his client’s alleged misdeeds. And we’ve only just begun….
