Academic

Judge King's connections to the bombing case

By Tung Yin

Judge in Mohamed Mohamud case says his family member attended tree-lighting ceremony targeted in alleged bomb plot (Oregonian):

U.S. District Judge Garr M. King, addressing lawyers at the beginning of a courtroom status conference, also said that three of his grandchildren went to middle school with the suspect but didn't know him. King said he didn't think those facts posed a conflict of interest.

The lawyers apparently agreed. None voiced any concern about the veteran judge's ability to try the case impartially.

I think it's probably correct that Judge King can preside over the case without there being any issue of a conflict of interest, but it's interesting to compare this case to that of Timothy McVeigh, in which all of the district court judges in Oklahoma City recused themselves.  McVeigh's case was handled by Judge Matsch, from Denver, Colorado.  It's not surprising that the Oklahoma federal judges recused themselves, seeing as how the courthouse was mildly damaged by the blast.  (I arrived in Oklahoma City for my clerkship the year after the bombing attack, and there were still glass fragments embedded in my office door.)  McVeigh parked his truck bomb on 5th Avenue, which was on the north side of the Murrah Federal Building.  The U.S. Courthouse was on the other side of the federal building, separated by 4th Avenue.  So if McVeigh had parked his truck on 4th instead of 5th, he would have destroyed the federal building and the federal courthouse.

It's understandable that the Oklahoma City judges stayed away from the case, because they could have been actual victims.  Maybe the judge's willingness to stay on this case gives some potential, speculative insight into the perception of the magnitude (or lack thereof) of danger in the Mohamud case.

Full post as published by The Yin Blog on January 06, 2011 (boomark / email).