Alabama Governor Bob Riley is really on a tear over gambling and is now going toe to toe with Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb over her handling of the White Hall gambling case.
The accusation is included in a legal motion filed by Riley’s lawyers in the White Hall gambling case. The case began March 19 when Riley’s gambling task force raided the White Hall Resort and Entertainment Center, a half-hour drive west of Montgomery, and seized more than 100 electronic bingo machines and just more than a half-million dollars in cash.
Hours after the raid, lawyers for the operators of White Hall headed to court to get back the machines and stop the task force from re-raiding the hall. A month ago, Cobb removed retired Circuit Judge Robert M. Harper of Lee County and appointed Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert S. Vance – the fourth judge assigned since the initial raid.
Riley claims the action by Cobb will result in months of delay in getting the issues before a jury. The motion seeks to void Cobb’s order replacing Harper with Vance.
“It must be assumed that as a retired judge without a formal pending docket of cases, Judge Harper did not have any reason that he could not handle the case promptly and efficiently, without any necessity of delay,” according to Riley’s motion.
Riley called Cobb’s replacement of Harper with Vance irregular and inappropriate.
According to Judge Harper, Chief Justice Cobb asked him to step aside because she thought Judge Vance, who was already handling a bingo case out of Walker County could handle the case more efficiently. I don’t know where the truth lies on this one, but I can certainly understand Governor Riley having a gripe here. The Chief Justice chose not to offer any comment because it is a legal pending matter, but she certainly had every right to make the move, just as Governor Riley’s attorneys have a right to complain.
Ultimately, it shouldn’t make any difference in the outcome of the case, and I don’t believe it is judge shopping, I suspect the Chief Justice was simply trying to avoid continued wrangling if two judges came to different decisions on similar cases.
Alabama Gov. Riley accuses Supreme Court Justice Sue Bell Cobb of judge shopping in pending gambling case – al.com.
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