YP: Paul Minor Appeal Decided

Y'all Politics reports that the Fifth Circuit has decided the appeal taken by Paul Minor, John Whitfield, and Wes Teel.

The seventy page opinion reverses all aspects of the convictions based on 18 USC Section 666, the "federal program bribery" statute. The Court found that there was no connection between the payments on behalf of Whitfield/Teel and the federal funding of non-judicial aspects of the state Administrative Office of the Courts. All three defendants' cases have been remanded for resentencing.

The Court of Appeals denied the Appellants' request that the resentencing be transferred to a different judge. The Fifth Circuit specifically held that "we are convinced that [Chief District] Judge Wingate conducted the trial in a fair and impartial manner."

http://www.scribd.com/doc/23987874/USA-v-Paul-Minor-Dec-11-2009