Posted on 01/18/2008 10:19:26 AM PST by Islander7
NEW ORLEANS --A Mississippi judge who ruled in favor of wealthy tort lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs in a civil case was told by a friend siding with Scruggs could mean consideration for a federal judgeship, prosecutors said in court papers unsealed this week.
Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter, who did not respond to a call seeking comment Thursday, has denied accepting any bribes and defended his ruling in favor of Scruggs in a dispute with other lawyers over fees from asbestos litigation.
However, during a closed-door proceeding in federal court last week, a prosecutor said Scruggs dispatched intermediaries to tell DeLaughter "if he ruled in his favor he would pass his name along for consideration regarding the federal judgeship."
Former Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters, a friend of the judge, later approached DeLaughter and "passed the information along" to him, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Dawson told U.S. District Judge Michael Mills in Oxford, Miss., according to a transcript of proceedings.
(Excerpt) Read more at sunherald.com ...
"And Langston and Balducci and Patterson would be able to see it before any (final version) was filed," Dawson added.
If you don't read the Wall Street Journal you have no idea what is going on. And I'm sure John Grisham won't be telling their stories.
DeLaughter is the guy who put away the notorious Byron De La Beckwith, the Mississippi Klansman who killed civil rights activist Medgar Evers.
They made a movie about it. Alec Baldwin played DeLaughter, James Woods played De La Beckwith and Whoopi Goldberg played the widow Evers
I’ll bet Bobby’s not DeLaughing now!
Very true, but oddly enough, the Journal is rated one of the most-liberal newspapers in te country, purely considerining their news staff, not the editorial and opinion staff.
Of interest to some might be the news that the entire Opinion webpage is now a free site, no subsription required.
I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce his last name. Seems like it could go either of two ways:
"De Laughter" with the 'laughter' pronounced as the English word, phonically spelled as "laf'-ter".
Or would the phonic spelling be more like "lawter", like in Charles Laughton ?
I'm pretty sure it's the latter (Or is it 'later'?), but I can't help but imagine that at least once or twice, someone has mispronounced his name, in his presence, and it indeed did provoke laughter.
Makes one want to go eat a "toh-mah'-toh", or lacking one of those, an old fashioned American "toh-may'-toh".
I guess it depends on whether or not you're dining at John Kerry's house (or that of his local equivalent) or in a normal household.
Trent Lott, Scruggs’ brother in law, did not resign merely to pursue a lobbyist’s income. He resigned because he is up to his eyeballs in the illegal activities of his brother in law and by the time Scruggs pleads to a mere felony or two, Lott will fold and plead to a felony - influence peddling, money laundering or something of that nature. You heard it here, folks. Remember John Mitchell resigned well before the stuff hit the fan - Lott is a stupider John Mitchell.
Alan Dershowitz once said that judges are the weakest link in the administration of justice, and the most protected. Lawyers seem to take all the heat for the nonsense that goes on in court. Judges are just people, and what’s more, they’re just politicians. Because of their extreme positions of power, they should be held to a higher standard than any politician or layman. The checks and balances are askew.
Mississippi ping!
Lott spoke to DeLaughter and other potential candidates about a vacancy in the federal court system, but the senator supported Halil "Sul" Ozerden, who was sworn in as a federal judge in Mississippi in August, according to Lott's former chief of staff, Brett Boyles.
DeLaughter did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment Thursday. But in an interview last week with The Associated Press, DeLaughter challenged anyone who doubted his judicial integrity to read his ruling in the case.
"I have not taken any bribes of any sort. Have not issued any rulings in exchange for money or anything else," DeLaughter said. "If one were to go back and look at my very lengthy and detailed ruling, I think it would be very evident ... they are on a solid legal basis and would stand any scrutiny."
Here’s the link where I got that last stuff:
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jan17/0,4670,LawyersIndicted,00.html
(I have not taken any bribes of any sort)
Doesn’t say he wasn’t “offered” one though does he?
If it was offered and he didn’t report it he’s still
guilty.
BTW his current wife was one year behind me in HS
Oh, Bobby....BOBBY....BOBBY!!!! Say it ain’t so, Bobby.
WD, DeLaughter was a friend of my daddy’s.
His first wife, Dixie (Moore) DeLaughter - the daughter of Rex Moore, played by Virgina Madsen in “Ghosts of Mississippi” - was my 7th Grade Home Ec teacher at old Magnolia Academy (nee Council 6).
Ed Peters is as crooked as they come. A sandpaper bath with Comet and Clorox couldn’t get all the dirt of that old murf. No surprise he’s mixed up in this.
Mississippi politics. Lord, have mercy.
But then again, I reckon since SkyTel sold out and Worldcom puked the largest employer in the state is the Legal profession. After all, Ole Miss Law School had a diploma privilege until about ‘85. That’s right - Ole Miss Law grads didn’t have to sit for the MS Bar Exam.
I was trying to find more info on Ed Peters and DeLaughter, and I came across this story. I don’t know how accurate it is, but it reads like a horrible miscarriage of justice. Peters/DeLaughter prosecuted this case a few months after the Beckwith conviction.
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=10253_0_9_0_C
I went to high school with him.
This is a shock.
De-Law-Ter (First “e” is short, “Law” is the accent syllable and the second “e” should have two dots over it....for all of you phonetics fans....:) )
I went to WHS, too. But I’m a wee bit younger. :)
go falcons
Small world. :) There used to be a guy on FR who was/is a teacher at that “urban” school, WHS. heh. Maybe he’s still around. Can’t remember his name.
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