Nothing to see here, folks?

On February 29th, the United States Supreme Court in Williams v. Pennsylvania, No. 15-5040 entertained oral arguments about "judicial bias."  Specifically, the issue is whether Mr. Williams has a right to object to one particular judge on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court presiding over his appeal of his death sentence, where that judge was the elected county prosecutor at the time of Williams' trial, who gave the go-ahead to pursue the death penalty against Williams in the first instance.  Oh, and to those who might argue that the remaining judges on Pennsylvania's highest court likely wouldn't be influenced by this one judge's lobbying or vote?  Well, the former prosecutor is now the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

It is mind-numbing to me that the Chief Justice failed to recuse himself the very second that Williams' case was accepted for highest appellate review.  No amount of time passage between the Chief Justice's previous role as "prosecutor seeking death" and his current role as "the head judge deciding whether death ought to be imposed" can purge the taint which is obvious here.  And yet it will apparently take the United States Supreme Court to step in and cure this ethical "dilemma"?  Sometimes it's shameful that a case so obvious takes so long to resolve.  Then again, the United States Supreme Court may surprise me and rule that "[t]here's nothing to see here, folks."

If you have a family member or friend who is facing charges, or if you are a lawyer seeking assistance with an appeal or post-conviction matter, please call this office immediately.  There are always time deadlines limiting when these claims can be raised.  If you wish to learn more about the process, call now.

Jonathan Laurans wants you to be educated as to what you may be facing.  If you or a loved one has been convicted of a crime in Missouri, Kansas or Texas, or in any federal court, contact him immediately.  Visit his website at www.kansascitymoattorney.com and then call him at (816) 421-5200 for a FREE initial legal consultation.