HOPE HE'S A HANGING JUDGE
Retired Judge to Preside in DeLay Case
Appointee Was Chosen for Apparent Nonpartisan Stance
By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 4, 2005; Page A04
The state of Texas finally found a judge yesterday to preside over the criminal trial of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), but not without a new, last-minute dispute about partisan political interference.
Administrative Judge B.B. Schraub, who earlier this week removed a judge overseeing the proceedings against DeLay for alleged liberal bias, withdrew yesterday from decision making about a replacement judge after an official complaint about Schraub's links to Republicans.
Former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) had requested the removal of a Democratic judge who gave money to MoveOn.org in 2004. (Reuters)
Majority Leader Delay Indicted
Rep. Tom Delay (R-Tex.), a hard-charging partisan with an intimidating reputation, was charged by a Texas prosecutor in a campaign finance probe.
DeLay Indicted
DeLay Indicted in Texas Finance Probe
Defense Wins New Judge in DeLay Case
DeLay Loath to Doff His Leadership Hat
DeLay Booked in Houston on Money-Laundering, Conspiracy Charges
DeLay is Booked on Charges in Houston
Schraub passed the decision to the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Wallace B. Jefferson. But within hours, political activists in Texas complained that Jefferson has close ties to individuals and political contributors at the heart of the allegations against DeLay.
By day's end, Jefferson seemed to settle the matter by appointing a retired judge from San Antonio, Pat Priest, whose only recent political donations were three checks of $150 each to Democratic candidates for the Texas House in 2004, according to the watchdog group Texans for Public Justice.
The task of finding a supposedly apolitical arbiter for DeLay's trial was complicated by the fact that Texas -- like seven other states -- elects its judges in partisan elections. It also allows elected judges to make financial contributions to partisan causes, and it even permits those with business before the courts to subsidize the judges' political campaigns.