An attorney for former House Speaker Jim Black says the judge overseeing Black's corruption case has a conflict of interest and should recuse himself, David Ingram and Mark Johnson of The Charlotte Observer report.
The judge, James Dever III of U.S. District Court, was among the private attorneys involved in a bitterly partisan battle to redraw the lines of legislative districts following the 2000 U.S. Census. Black, who was speaker at the time, was central in the redistricting battle.
President Bush, a Republican, later appointed Dever a judge.
"If Judge Dever imposes judgment on Black it will appear to the public that Judge Dever will indeed have had the last word on the redistricting battle engaged in during his private practice," wrote Charlotte lawyer Ken Bell in court papers filed Thursday.
Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, pleaded guilty in Dever's courtroom in February to accepting illegal payments from chiropractors who had interests before the legislature. He is scheduled for sentencing May 18, though Bell's motion could throw that date into doubt.
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Re: Black's attorney: Judge has conflict
Like I say, this is Jim Black's final slime. Unreal.
There is a big "RICO, RICO" light flashing. Anyone else see it?
http://charlotte.johnlocke.org/blog/?p=1446