Zimmerman Lawyer Asks For Judge To Be Removed
ORLANDO, Fla. (CBSMiami) – Just days after the trial judge in the Trayvon Martin case, circuit judge Jessica Recksiedler, revealed a potential conflict of interest; the lawyer for George Zimmerman filed a motion to have her removed from the case.
Mark O'Mara cited Judge Recksiedler's comments as the reason for removing her from the case. Judge Recksiedler said her conflict dealt with her husband, attorney Mark NeJame.
NeJame was first approached by Zimmerman's family to represent him in his trial on second degree murder for the death of Trayvon Martin, 17. NeJame is now serving as a legal analyst for CNN in the Tryavon Martin case.
"What I don't want to happen is to wait a month or two, and then we find out that what we thought is a potential conflict is an actual conflict," O'Mara told reporters outside the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center.
Chief Judge Alan Dickey will rule on the request from O'Mara.
Also Monday, a group of media agencies, led by CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, asked for the records which were sealed last week to be unsealed. Records such as full police reports, autopsy reports, and transcripts of witness interviews are normally public under Florida's sunshine laws.
According to the motion filed by the news organizations, Zimmerman's case doesn't meet the standards that are typically used to create an exemption to those laws.
The media agencies said sealing of records can only happen if there is an imminent threat to the administration of justice; if there are no alternatives for protecting a defendant's right to a fair trial, and if closing the records protects the rights of the person being tried.
A spokeswoman for the special prosecutor in the case said her office was reviewing the media motion but had no immediate comment. O'Mara didn't immediately return an email seeking comment on Monday.
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