Legal Commentary

Jena 6 Judge Removed From Case

By Jeralyn

The judge in the Jena 6 case has been removed due to inappropriate comments about the arrested teens.

Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. had acknowledged calling the teens "trouble makers" and "a violent bunch" but insisted he could be impartial. Defense attorneys disagreed and asked that he be removed. Judge Thomas M. Yeager, who was appointed by the state Supreme Court to decide whether Mauffray should be taken off the case, found there was an appearance of impropriety.

"The right to a fair and impartial judge is of particular importance in the present cases," Yeager wrote.

Where the case stands now: [more...]

Jesse Ray Beard, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw now face aggravated second-degree battery charges. Beard is charged as a juvenile.

Mychal Bell is the only member of the group that has been tried. He was originally charged as an adult with attempted murder. The charge was reduced before a jury convicted him last June of aggravated second-degree battery.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 01, 2008 (boomark / email).