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The judge in the George Zimmerman case denied to recuse himself Wednesday, ruling that a defense motion asking him to step down was "legally insufficient."
"The defendant's verified motion to disqualify judge is hereby denied as legally insufficient," Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester ruled.
Zimmerman, the 28-year-old Florida man charged with second-degree murder in the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, asked for a new judge in his case last month, accusing Lester of bias.
Zimmerman alleged in the filing that Lester made "gratuitous" and "disparaging remarks" about him during a July 5 bond hearing and offered "a personal opinion" in the case.
George Zimmerman's wife will not be at arraignment after not guilty plea
"In doing so, the Court has created a reasonable fear in Mr. Zimmerman that this Court is biased against him and because of this prejudice he cannot receive a fair and impartial trial or hearing by this Court," the motion said.
It is unclear whether Zimmerman will appeal the judge's decision.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Zimmerman is, and will be, more fairly judged than Trayvon Martin.
How many of you posters, on this board, are:
1) Stay at home, single moms of black babies, and on full welfare
2) SSI recipients
3) On "disability" of some sort
4) Have children, and are on full welfare
5) Have been on welfare longer than you have ever held a job?
Just curious? I'm guessing that it is 90%+
Hi ... Jo-An
Social, how many times have you been called a bigot? A racist? Inconsiderate? Jackass? Moron? Idiot? Out of touch? Clueless? Stupid? Mean? Conceited? Liar? Ignorant? Uninformed? I'm just curious.
Social worker ??? If you are one you need to be fired from your job !!! Bet theres not even ten percent of the posting that falls in your posting
You really like putting yourself on a pedestal, don't you? Tell us social woker, what issues do you suffer from that makes you feel compelled to put yourself above others? Did Uncle Bob get a little too friendly at the family reunion when you were a child? Substance abuse? If you're a male, perhaps you have a little dink.
Instead of worrying about everyone else, perhaps you should point that judgmental finger at the only place it can do some good....the mirror.
rick,
you forgot ugly, lazy and disrespectful...... greatest movie line in the world!!!
Social worker has such an interesting list. I guess he or she does not like people who are disabled and people who refuse to get abortions. I guess he or she thinks that the people on this list have no right to speak out on the issues. Hmmm.
I was going to post a disparaging to this pathetic bigot, but you guys have it well covered.
Social worker = Is not smart enough or tough enough to perform real jobs. Just making minimum wages must have you all worked up about welfare recipients? either that or you're just a volunteer, no wonder you hate your life so much.
Social, I do hope you are enjoying your misery
Want do you want to bet that Social Worker applied for SSDI based on mental health issues and was denied? Hence, the anger.
Social Worker just joined Newwsvine in 7/2012, and has commented only once on only one thread besides this one. I suspect he's either a rereg, a troll, or both.
I've set him to Ignore.
Severed Head in a Jar
Re-reg, she's gone....
me,
What about you, Dad?
Awesome.
This is complete bullsh*t. The judge judges himself? Eff that. This judge is completely bias, offered his personal opinion in the case and needs to be replaced; period.
LOL!! When a judge makes a decision it is always based on their personal opinion of the facts and the law.
skyler,
what did the judge say that was bias?....PLEASE TELL
Dang! A judge that interprets the law is guilty of bias? Isn't that why they wear the black robe and sit bench?
What zimmerman will not get to shop around for a Judge, he has not lied to?
Imagine a Judge not moved by his whining. :)
The Judge is biased as a result of the hidden assets.
If the Lester resides over this case the trial outcome will be tainted.
Lester must recuse himself if judicial integrity is to be maintained in this tial.
here,
so you are saying that any judge that files contempt charges is now biased to the case???? poor kids and there elementary educations
Uh, herewegoagain, it is "presides" not "resides". Where Judge Lester lives was not in question.
And, it is "trial" not "tial".
Please, if you want to be taken seriously, proof read before hitting the "post comment" button.
So the Zimmerman defense is to trick the public into donating millions of dollars so he can buy his freedom, and then keep rotating judges until they get one that is sympathetic to his case. Sounds like a fair use of the legal system.
Zimmerman will walk and Trayvon will lay flat.
Too bad you're not laying flat
and you like to take it up the arse, right? Is that your little menage a trios position? Wow, you're a sick little lady, doing it with a dead guy.
It should NOT be up to the judge to decide whether or not to recuse himself or that a defense motion asking him to step down was "legally insufficient."
It should be bounced up the chain of command to make that decision.
It's like the FOX being asked to recuse himself from the HEN HOUSE, and the FOX deciding the motion is "legally insufficient."
Uh, he's the judge. He is at the top of the chain of command. Duh.
DOCJT,
There are higher judges that over see him. They should make the decision, not him.
Why? George lied to this judge. The judge punished him accordingly. The motion was filed in this court in relation to this trial. Part of Judge Lester's job is to rule on the motions presented to him on this case. That's what he did. In order to get another judge to rule on a motion in this case, he would have already have had to have been recused, or an appeal to a higher court granted.
Jessie, Al and the gang want a black judge, or anything but a white one. It is that simple. The rest is a thick layer of BS. Call it what it is. Black racism.
George the judge doesn't like liers you murderer. I hope you and you wife go to jail for the scumbags you are.
I want to report the Social Worker for being to STUPID to live.
Who died and made you the grammar God?
News flash! Everyone has a right to their opinion even if it is not written to your standard.
Those who do not have a valid argument tend to deviate from the topic at hand and stoop to picking on others for lack of something useful to add to the discussion.
Now go lay flat and try to think of something valid to say that pertains to this article.
OH GOD you're another one of "those people".
social,
I am a working taxpayer (actually have my own business), only had children in wedlock (2 if you need to know), can support myself and have never had assistance from government, charities, food bank, church or my neighbors... voted for Obama, will vote for him again...!!! I think uneducated, racist troglodytes like yourself are the down fall of this great nation and should be weeded from society before you hurt yourself or others
now go back to chewing on crayons and making tin foil hats before the aliens come back and probe you
You can stop the lies now sw. or should I say shelly zimmerman..........by the way if you are really a social worker, you are being paid by tax dollars......I guess being a social worker don't require much education.
Social Worker has children? Please, please, someone track that IP address and notify children's services immediately. Those children are in grave danger of being raised in sheer stupidity.
Social Worker's just another troll.
The interesting thing is how the right wing has rallied to GZ. The attacks on the victim are amazing. According to the NYT, the right wing has launched a "wave of vitriol" at Martin by "conservatives online" in an attempt to make Martin appear menacing by selectively highlighting images from his social media accounts. In one case an image of a different person also named Trayvon Martin in a "gangsta" pose was reprinted in conservative blogs and publications such as the Daily Caller and Michelle Malkin's blog.
If anyone is not familiar with Michele Malkin, she is a particularly venomous hate monger and race baiter. She went to great lengths attempting to stir up racial tensions in Knoxville, TN after the gruesome murders of a white couple by a gang of blacks, even though she was told to shut the hell up by one of the victim's father, a conservative Republican, himself, who recognized that she was just pushing an agenda of hate. This woman has no scruples or decency. These are the kinds of people driving the campaign behind GZ. It is debatable whether GZ is actually racist, but there is no doubt about the gutter scum that are supporting him.
AND she is posting on here as a "social worker"....lol..
Seriously, they have gone to a LOT of trouble to smear an innocent kid and his family's reputation. Michelle Malkin is one sick puppy...
Couldn't agree MORE!
LOL! I wear with pride the badge of honor of being blocked from 2 of Michelle Malkin's FB pages. She hates it when you point out what an idiot and low life she is.
LOL...
Social worker. This jerk is getting off on himself. The Judge is smarter than you on his worst day then you are on a good day. He has more intelligence in his little finger than you have in your entire family. So thank our stars he's the judge and you are some idiot pulling his pud.
(i can see how you would raise a child)
Zimmerman will go fre,he just completed what the police would have eventually done anyways.
ouch!
This is most unfortunate. Judge Lester is obviously brimming with personal animus towards Zimmerman. What conceivable rationale can be proposed for his near-destruction of the fund containing donations sent to Zimmerman for the sole purpose of funding his legal and living expenses? That fund, at the time of Lester's order jacking up bail to 1 mil., was under the control of O'Mara and a fund trustee, the proceeds to be doled out only to pay approved legal and living expenses. $85,000 down the drain, for the bondman's fee, and now Zimmerman is near flat broke, showered with death threats, in need of security, and unable to go anywhere near his former home. This smacks of malice. Much has been made of Zimmerman's attempt to avoid disclosing to Lester the lifeline thrown to him by his supporters. It's time to demand of Lester what authority he purports to follow in threatening Zimmerman with what amounts to judicial expropriation of those donations. We are witnessing a crude parody of judicial process, set in motion by spineless politicians groveling before racist demagogues.
cool story, you mad bro?
Bail is an approved legal expense.
Apparently Lester is a tough judge who doesn't hold hands with defendants and has at least three death sentences under his belt. Proving "personal animus" in a situation in which a judge is making credibility determinations is pretty difficult and quite a charge to make. Is the judge supposed to just believe anything a criminal defendant says at face value? Lester may have spoken harshly to Zimmerman and his lawyers, but that may have been motivated by a conclusion that they were not being honest with the court rather than "personal animus".
This is a case that was mishandled by the Florida law enforcement authorities, who were the ones who should have set the judicial process in motion, but were, at the very least, negligent. What is "racist" about forcing the criminal justice system to work under such circumstances, which involve the shooting death of an unarmed teenager in the dark by a stranger. Zimmerman is in this situation through acts of his own choosing, so don't feel too sorry for him. It remains to be seen whether he will be a credible witness or not.
Get back to the root of the matter. If George Mighty Mouse had minded his own business & kept going to Target, he would not have needed the"help" to try to save his behind. Also, when O'Mara took the case , it was pro-bono. So, boo hoo no money left for legal fees.
Well, that's what happens sometimes when you're a murderer and a liar.
Oh, waa. Who cares about z. he's guilty
Mods Wanna Ban Me You must have that on speed post. Why are you always so worried about someone being mad ? Are you mad Bro?
DOCJT -
"Bail is an approved legal expense." And if you don't cheat you get most of it back.
Looks like the zimmerman keyboard laywers were wrong...again.
Cool story. Are you mad Bro?
Zimmerman is more likely to get a less impartial judge if he continues to pursue a judge that will agree with him even when he is wrong. I say this based on a recent poll of criminal defense attorneys which you can read about in the Orlando Sentinel.
Carmen.....you're almost saying it's ok to lie at a bond hearing because he didn't have his right hand up. Come on now.....think. I agree with you regarding the contempt, but bottom line, GZ lied in a court of law and can be charged with perjury.
Sorry folks. This was intended to retort a past comment.
By any objective standard Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester's comments create the appearance of judicial bias. He should be disqualified by a higher court.
Even if Judge Lester conducts himself in the most judicious manner going forward there still will be a problem if Zimmerman is convicted. When Lester sentences Zimmerman people will claim Lester's sentence was too harsh because of his bias against Zimmerman or too lenient because Lester is trying to "prove" he is fair minded. Either way Lester has broken the confidence in his fairness needed so that people will believe justice has been done. Judge Lester needs to be replaced.
The law is not objective. The law is subjective. It is subjectively interpreted and applied to each individual case. That is what Judge Lester did. Oh, well. Georgie should not have lied. Nor should he have been stupid enough to think that his little scheme for hiding money was not easily detected by anyone with a fourth grade education.
Martha, the jury is responsible for finding Zimmerman guilty. Not the judge.
Fairness? How about granting a ridiculously low bail for 2nd degree murder charges, only to discover that he was lied to in the information he was given in determining that bail amount? Fair? The granting of a second bail after it was shown that the defendent was dishonest and not to be trusted? You aren't looking for fair, you are looking for an advantage. So was Zimmerman. That's why he had his bond revoked.
DOCJT - Actually $150,000 is not a "ridiculously low bail" where and what are you basing this on? Your expert legal opinion on what bail is? Guess you missed the part when Omara said that the donations shouldnt matter and EVEN THE JUDGE was not sure how to handle it. Get over yourself....
Actually, it is, Dan. According to the Florida Statutes, murder in the second degree, firearm used in the commission, is a non-bondable offense. Even the $1 mil could have been denied under Florida statutes. George has gotten 2 breaks in the bond amount. He could have been remanded to custody without bond, because 2nd degree murder is punishable by up to life imprisonment. There is a mandatory 25-life sentence when a firearm is used in the commission of the crime.
Please, do try to inform yourself before attempting to correct me. You make yourself appear foolish.
I will be happy when this trial is over and Zimmerman is getting the help he needs in jail or I think he might have mental problems perhaps he needs that kind of treatment. Either way I hope that Martins relatives get some peace of mind after this trial is over.
I hope they were able to get the Memorial going for Martin I have not heard anything about it. I think a Memorial park is needed in that area where he was killed.
I think zimmerman ran out of victim cards.
He is a desperate man at this point in time, with a desperate lawyer. As is evidenced by some of the desperate decisions they are making.
Zimmy boy better hope for a judge that is a member of the NRA if his defense strategy works and he gets this one off the bench through appeal. The NRA is his only hope now that he has shown himself to be a liar and a fraud as well as a murderer. I would not be surprised to see the NRA call for an armed protest at the court when Zimmy gets sentenced. After all, it is the NRA and the gun fanatics that are really on trial here. The NRA has become a hate filled, violence promoting, political bribing, advertising agency for the gun and ammo industry. If you are still a member of this criminal organization, you are no longer a patriot but a traitor to the Constitution and America.
I always thought that was an odd tactic - lie to the judge, and then accuse the judge of being biased against you.
The trouble for the prosecutors is that they have to prove Zimmerman guilty... Zimmerman doesn't have to prove himself innocent.
Consider:
The above does not mean that Zimmerman is innocent... it does mean that the prosecutor will have a very difficult time convicting Zimmerman... if he is tried before an unbiased judge and impartial jury.
He has to prove that he acted in self defense. Pre-emptive defense, and all that, you know.
How could you possibly know what the physical evidence supports? If you have information regarding the evidence that no one else has, please do share.
A body found 30 feet from where Zimmerman stated the shooting occured is contradictory. Forget that part, did you?
The judge does not determine guilt or innocence. The jury does. And I doubt the prosecutor will allow jurors to be seated that aren't able to engage in critical thought regarding the evidence.
Sorry DOCJT, Zimmerman does not have to "prove that he acted in self defense". He just has to assert that he acted in self defense. The prosecutor has to prove that he did not.
Therein lies the problem for the prosecutor: The physical evidence supports Zimmerman's account of what happened; there is no evidence that Zimmerman's account is inaccurate.
according to martha credibility is meaningless in this case.
Nonsense. It is the credibility of the prosecutor's case that matters. Zimmerman is presumed innocent until proven guilty... which is the prosecutor's job. Unfortunately for the prosecutor the physical evidence supports Zimmerman's story. This does not mean that Zimmerman didn't make up his story to conform to the physical evidence... it does mean that without any evidence to the contrary Zimmerman will be found innocent.
Social Worker changed its name.
Sorry, Martha...you don't know much about a pre-emptive defense, do you?
How exactly, does the physical evidence which has been made available to the public, support Zimmerman's claim of self defense? Let's start, shall we, with the evidence that an employee of the Sanford Police Dept., the dispatcher recorded on the call, told Zimmerman he did not need to follow Trayvon Martin, and the evidence that George did, indeed, get out of his vehicle and follow the young man. Explain, please, how the body ended up 30 yards away from where it would have been if Zimmerman's recorded accounts of what occurred that evening were factual.
Regarding credibility: George is the one on trial. It is his credibility, which he has blown on numerous occasions, that is at issue. Not the prosecutor's.
Zimmerman's innocence is not a question. He has already admitted to shooting and killing an unarmed teen based on the fact that he believed he was suspicious because he was wearing a hoodie. Those are George's own words during questioning. He is guilty of taking a life. That is a given. What is in question is to what degree he has criminal liability in taking that life.
Contradictory of what? The gunshot residue and powder burns on Martin's cloths prove Zimmerman was within inches of Martin when he fired his gun. That is one of the facts that support Zimmerman's story.
The record clearly shows that the 911 operator instructed Zimmerman not to follow Martin after Zimmerman had already exited his truck. Zimmerman states that after receiving that 911 operator instruction he turned around and was headed back to his truck. There isn't any evidence to contradict Zimmerman's story.
Have you even looked at the evidence, Martha? The body was 30 feet away from where it would have had to have been when shot if Zimmerman's accounts (any of them, BTW) are truthful. Yes, he was shot within inches. Which means that either he was not on top of Zimmerman where it would have been possible for Trayvon to be "bashing his head against the concrete", or he was trying to get away, and Zimmerman pursued and shot him well away from where he claimed he was being attacked.
According to the video taped account offered by Zimmerman, he wasn't headed in the direction of his truck.
Here's a little quote for you:
"Were you following him?"
Zimmerman: "No, I was just going in the same direction as him."
Like I said, doesnt matter if zimmerman has changed his story. according to martha credibility is meaningless in this case.
Right.
Unless new evidence comes to light (which in itself would create credibility issues) Zimmerman will be acquitted.
just like how lester was supposed to step down from the case huh?
Martha is funny as h*ll lmao. G man doesn't have to prove anything?? Yet, Martha is going all out to assert his self defense claim. When you get to technical you tend to lose the reality of the situation. And if G man isn't winning over jurors by proving his case he will burn.
Yep, and the Easter Bunny will leave colorful eggs on my lawn next spring, Martha.
DOCJT - Wow you are just COMPLETELY wrong on this one. The body ended up a "whole 30 feet" from where the argument started because Zimmerman was trying to get away from Martin after he punched him. You do realize how far 30 feet is right? God your funny you say stuff with such conviction that is completely asinine...
You also seem to completely forget the 88 seconds AFTER Zimmerman says he lost him. Says he walked to the street to get an address and was walking back to his truck which ALL support the physical evidence for anyone with a pair of eyes and no bias. I could care less about GZ or TM but I do know how to look at the facts. I could care less if GZ lied about the money. What he says is backed by both the eye and ear witnesses and most of you are just to blind by some personal agenda to open up and see it.
GZ lied in his reenactment video...he wasn't over past the T during his call with the police. Watch the reenactment, and listen to the police call....
Things just don't line up. GZ didn't move his car until AFTER he hung up with police...
There is your missing 88 seconds.
BIG LIAR!
Wouldn't it be safer and make more sense to drive to the end of the street to get the name of the street or exact address he claims he was looking for when it was dark out?
BUT he didn't....
Listen to his police call....You can hear him open his door and get out and follow...right?
You never hear those chimes AGAIN...GZ NEVER got back in during that call....
He moved after he got off the phone, he got out and followed TRayvon, and surprised Trayvon at the T, where Trayvon had STOPPED, to continue his phone call.
Trayvon saw him, asked why he was following, and GZ reached out to detain him, OR he reached for his
GUN....errrr, I mean phone, while asking him what he was doing there....Trayvon, SCARED, tried to run away, and knocked GZ down. They rolled around until GZ got the upper hand, and held the gun on Trayvon. Trayvon is the one crying for help...not GZ...and GZ, being the pussy he is, pulled the trigger.martha, for all your numbers, you ignore the major fact: zimmerman is a conscious agent. The "why" he was there and why he was there carrying a gun matter.
Is that right, Dani? Then your conclusions mean that Zimmerman has been lying all along about how the incident occurred. Thanks for confirming that he is a liar and a murderer.
Doesn't matter who the judge is... Zimmerman is guilty. He should have stayed in his car LIKE HE WAS TOLD TO DO by the 911 operator. I sincerely hope that Zimmerman becomes some big black dude's bi@#h in prison. I will then know that there really is a God and she has a sense of humor.