Was that subpoena served by the defense???????
Nifong asking to be replaced is a BIG surprise to me. I think
one possibility is that he will not have to dismiss the case himself or be removerd by the Judge. If he survives the Bar trial without being disbarred he would still be Prosecutor and could say to constituents that he did all he could.
Don't know if you've gotten an answer yet, but an earlier post said that Finnerty's lawyer sent the subpoena to Nifong's office, and that it was served yesterday while Mangum was talking with him.
The defense can serve a subpoena, too, especially if they don't trust Nifong in fear that she won't show up and he'll make excuses for her by saying they forgot to serve her. The defense serving a witness they really want to have appear is a common tactic, even if the witness is technically a prosecution witness.
I don't know who generated the subpoena, but I wonder how the defense knew about the meeting which would give them the opportunity to serve her? Maybe somebody at the courthouse or the DA's office let it slip accidentally-on-purpose to the defense. I'm sure the defense has been waiting for any opportunity to serve her.
I think the defense put out the subpeona but the sheriff "delivered" it to her.