Thomas Wright's lawyer compared him to the Duke lacrosse team.
The lawyer for the indicted Wilmington Democrat said prosecutors are rushing the case for the sake of politics, driving them toward the same mistakes of the infamous Duke University lacrosse team case, Mark Johnson reports.
"It appears we're picking a court date based on politics," lawyer Douglas Harris, of Greensboro, said in Wake County District Court. "The last time somebody handled a case based on politics was over in Durham and that ended up in a mess."
The protests didn't sway Judge Henry Hight, who agreed to a schedule set by District Attorney Colon Willoughby. Lawyers will begin offering initial requests in the case on Feb. 7 and a trial could be scheduled as early as March 3.
Willoughby wrote in a letter to Harris last week that he did not want the case to interfere with this year's election, as Wright has announced his intention to run for reelection. Willoughby also said he didn't want to interfere with the ethics committee proceedings at the General Assembly, where Wright has been charged with eight counts of misconduct.
The committee could eventually recommend Wright's expulsion from the House.
"Politics has no business determining when a case is held," Harris said, adding that many violent criminals wait much longer for their trials. Wright, wearing a General Assembly lapel pin, declined comment other than to say he wanted the case handled fairly.
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