A hostile exchange took place in the courtroom today where George Zimmerman is on trial for second degree murder as Judge Debra Nelson questioned the defendant about his plans to testify.
Nelson reminded Zimmerman that he has the “absolute right to remain silent” if he so desires and proceeded to ask him whether he was prepared to testify. Defense attorney Don West twice objected to the question, but was overruled by Nelson, who explained, “The court is entitled to inquire if Mr. Zimmerman’s determination [sic] as to whether or not he wants to testify.”
The judge then began asking Zimmerman how much time he requires to determine whether or not he would like to testify. West again objected to the question and asked for more time to speak with his client, prompting Judge Nelson to raise her voice and exclaim, “Your objection is overruled!”
The tension escalated as another of Zimmerman’s defense attorneys, Mark O’Mara, was overheard asking under his breath, “What is going on?”
Kathi Belich, a journalist following the trial for a local news channel, tweeted her surprise at the line of questioning, writing “I have never seen that in more than 30 years of court reporting.”
Really.
You don’t know?
The Obama/Holder regime has leverage on Judge Nelson. As is the case with Chief Justice Roberts, Nelson will face serious consequences if the jury does not convict. The verdict has already been handed down by the Chief Judge, and failure is not an option. Even a non-lawyer like me can find grounds for a mistrial in the conduct of Nelson. She is in a trap of her own devising: if the jury convicts, she will face removal from office. If the jury fails to convict, she will face unspecified woes from the Feddies.
There is no prior case in which a Judge has been able to directly intimidate a defendant, at least since Jim Crow was abolished. Nelson is practicing frontier justice, the way Mark Twain described justice in Nevada in the 1860s. There is a lawyer present to represent the defendant; the defendant has the right to be represented by counsel; when that counsel is told to “shut up”, that right to counsel has been abrogated.
I will not chronicle here the evidence which Nelson has not admitted, nor her rulings concerning the testimony of audio experts.
See Lucianne.com for chronicles of Justice Department administration of protests and demands for conviction. It is truly a rotten mess!
From what I can see today the judge should be sitting at the prosecution table. She is so in the tank for a conviction of anything. She just too obvious. This is not a fair trial.
@Old Guy: She needs to be in the dock.
I too notice her inclination on the prosecution,
I TOOK IT ON THE CHANGE OF JUDGE PREVIOUSLY,I thought maybe they stick together and she migh not have want the case but was force into it,
and thought that she will make the defense pay for removing her friend the other judge who was looking bias
yes influence of politic play a big part in the arrogance of those,
I bet she is a DEM.
is there a way to find out?
NO CONSERVATIVE JUDGE
would act this arrogantly.