Zimmerman judge to step down from Trayvon Martin case

[maddezmom]

Source: UPI

Published: April 18, 2012 at 4:00 AM

SANFORD, Fla., April 18 (UPI) -- A judge planned to step down Wednesday from the case of a neighborhood watch volunteer who killed unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, court employees said.

The Seminole County Court said Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler would decide whether to recuse, or disqualify, herself from the case by Friday, due to a potential conflict of interest. But courthouse workers told the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel Recksiedler would surrender control of the case Wednesday.

Mark O'Mara, the lawyer for the defendant, George Zimmerman, filed paperwork Monday asking Recksiedler, who became a judge last year, to step down from the case. Recksiedler's husband is an Orlando-area lawyer under contract with CNN to provide on-air legal analysis of the case and was originally approached to represent Zimmerman.

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It was not immediately clear how Recksiedler's decision would affect a bail hearing Zimmerman has scheduled for Friday.

A separate petition brought by several news organizations challenging the sealing of normally open court records is also set for Friday.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/04/18/Zimmerman-judge-to-step-down-from-Trayvon-Martin-case/UPI-36831334736000/

[pasto76]

1. I respect anyone who is willing to relinquish power when the question is raised

wish more people in this world would do the same.

[lonestarnot]

2. Scalia and Thomas would never think of it!

[drm604]

3. This is called professionalism.

Justice Thomas, I'm looking at you.

[jwirr]

4. Now let us hope that we do not get a worse judge.

[Solomon]

5. Its also called happily relieving oneself of an

unwanted burden. You'd be surprised that there are many cases that a judge would be all too happy to recuse themselves from. This is one of them. No matter what happens, at every stage of the proceedings, the judge is going to be heavily scrutinized, and a lot of people, no matter what the judge does, will piss on him/her.