United States v. Garrison
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
340 F.Supp. 952 (1972)
Relevant factsFree
Garrison (defendant), a New Orleans district attorney, was charged with accepting bribes to permit illegal gambling. Garrison moved to recuse the presiding judge because the judge had previously issued an opinion criticizing Garrison's conduct as a prosecutor. Garrison had also published a press release denouncing that opinion. Garrison argued that both the judge's earlier comments and his own public attacks on the judge showed the judge could not be impartial.
IssueFree
Whether the substance of a judge's prior opinion, or a criminal defendant's derogatory remarks about the judge, affords legal grounds requiring the judge's recusal.