Judge will decide Friday whether to uphold contempt charge against Dallas County DA Craig Watkins
A judge will decide Friday whether to uphold a contempt of court charge levied against Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins for defying an order to testify at a hearing where the DA was accused of prosecutorial misconduct.
The months since State District Judge Lena Levario held Watkins in contempt March 7 for refusing to answer questions about indictments sought again a Texas oil family heir have involved legal wrangling that sought to delay Friday’s decision or avert it altogether. Watkins has maintained that a prosecutor’s decisions while pursuing a case should not be questioned in court.
Baring any surprise moves by attorneys involved in the case, State District Judge Bob Brotherton should decide Friday whether the contempt charge and the $500 fine it comes with will stand. He could also dismiss the charge.
Officers of the court like Watkins are given a hearing before another judge when held in contempt as a check on judicial power. Watkins, like Levario, is a Democrat in Dallas County. Brotherton is a Republican from Wichita Falls.
More at http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2013/08/judge-will-decide-friday-whether-to-uphold-contempt-charge-against-dallas-county-da-craig-watkins-or-dismiss-it.html/ .
