Iowa – A U.S. District Chief Judge chastised lawyers for former Agriprocessors CEO and convicted felon Sholom Rubashkin for contacting and interviewing jurors from his 2009 trial, and ruled that any information obtained will be prohibited from aiding in Rubashkin’s appeal.
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THE GAZETTE (http://bit.ly/1hj2aR3) reports that on Tuesday, Judge Linda Reade ordered that all content from former juror interviews be turned over to the court where it will be sealed.
A special hearing was requested by the government after a former juror reported that he had been contacted by reps for Rubashkin’s legal team on multiple occasions to see if he would be willing to assist with Rubashkin’s appeal.
A little digging by the U.S. Attorney’s office revealed that at least 13 former jurors, alternates included, had been contacted by Rubsahkin’s legal team since the trial ended.
At the hearing, Rubashkin’s attorney, Guy Cook, claimed he misunderstood Judge Reade’s instruction to jurors at the conclusion of the trial, and thought that a ban prohibiting attorneys from contacting the jurors had been lifted.
Judge Reade said she never lifted the ban.
In their motion requesting the hearing, government attorneys asked that Rubashkin’s attorneys present evidence as to why they shouldn’t be sanctioned, but after thorough discussion Reade declined to file contempt charges and the matter was deemed concluded.
Why if there’s a chance to get him out do they squander it by going against the courts?
I cannot understand how this judge was not disqualified. She was involved in the original prosecution and demonstrated prejudice. Of course she would dismiss evidence, who cares about the facts as long as he spends the rat of his life in jail for a common bank “fraud”
Nebech, Reb Rubashkin seems to have terrible attorneys.
1 of the biggest problems with the US court system is that your usually stuck with the same Judge for years after the initial trial.
Apparently this judge has something to hide.
Judge Reade is merciless judge to all, not just to ‘us’.
Appointed by Bush, she is exactly the type of judge conservative Republicans love.
You reap what you sow.
it seems neither him or his lawyers can follow the law of the land
Hopefully they will find reason to disqualify this unfair judge let’s not forget how she had been involved……
People don’t live forever. When she dies, she will be judged by the true judge and I don’t think things will be pretty for her.