Patsy Brumfield expands on her story in today’s Daily Journal. I’m quoted, to which I’ll add two observations: The email the story notes I received, I got back in May, and I have no first hand notion of what’s going on with this process. I hear a lot, and what I hear is contradictory. Here’s some of what the story says:
Christi R. McCoy’s nomination to the Northern District U.S. Attorney’s post is on track and hasn’t hit a snag, sources close to the process tell the Daily Journal.
Tuesday, at least two Internet blog sites insisted the candidacy had run into trouble because McCoy once worked for then-attorney Joey Langston in Booneville, where she grew up.
A former Booneville municipal judge, McCoy has been an attorney since 1994 and has her own law practice in Oxford.
In 2008, Langston was disbarred and is serving a federal prison term for his admitted role in a scheme to bribe a circuit judge in a legal-fees lawsuit against Richard “Dickie” Scruggs.
What’s behind the electronic sniping?
“We’re getting to a point where a decision is going to be made,” said Oxford attorney Tom Freeland, who runs his own eclectic blog at http://nmisscommentor.com.
“It’s not surprising that people with interests on various sides are starting to show elbows.”
He also said he’d received an e-mail from someone with “first hand” knowledge and that McCoy has not hit any snags.
So did she work for Langston or not?
Yes she did.
She worked for Joey Langston, Richard Bowen, Ronald Michael & Daniel Tucker when they were partners. The firm name was Langston, Langston, Michael, Bowen & Tucker, P.A.
This is a total smear effort, and a poorly executed one, at that. There has been not even the most modestly fact-based insinuation that McCoy even knew about Langston’s funny business, or even that he was doing it anywhere near the time that McCoy worked with him. If every lawyer who ever had any professional relationship with Langston, Scruggs, et al., is ineligible for this position, then our next U.S. attorney will hail from Alaska.
Everything to do with this is like watching a sinking ship and seeing which rat drowns another while trying to keep their own nose out of the water.
Thanks for the updates NMC.
“Tom Freeland, who runs his own eclectic blog…”
Eclectic? As best I can tell, we talk about the law, food, music, chickens, cannons, bacon, and politics. Does eclectic = redneck?
Somebody should get in touch with this guy.
WTBAL, redneck law discussions focus on DUI and consanguinuity; ours count as “eclectic” by that standard.
Alaska!? Ha, I heard Palin is looking for work.
Seriously, I hope the nomination is completed soon because I have to wonder if it’s the reason behind why one of the Circuit Judges also mentioned for the job hasn’t ruled on a pcr motion to overturn a murder conviction sent to him by the Supreme Court a year ago. It’s been 7 months since the evidentiary hearing and brief was filed. The judge promised a decision by the end of last year.
Today is the inmate’s 20th birthday. He’s been locked up since barely age 15, the same age he was when he was interrogated alone at Lee County Jail with no lawyer or parent present for days, in shock after fighting for his life hours earlier.
The MS Supreme Court granted him post conviction relief back on April 27th, 2008 with no written opinion. It simply said “IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the motion for post-conviction collateral relief filed by counsel for _________ is hereby granted”, dated April 30, 2008. His counsel asked for his conviction to be overturned.
The trial judge refused to honor the order saying it’s never been done before. True, no murder conviction had ever been overturned on a PCR. It took 3 months for the Supreme Court to come back with a Clarification. In July of ’08 they denied summary relief and allowed the inmate to proceed back to trial court (thank the gods it wasn’t killed altogether).
I’d like to think the judge is working on a well thought out reasoned and researched decision, but after 7 months it feels more like a stall. It was clear at the hearing he wasn’t happy and made some rather weird comments to inmate’s counsel. He seemed annoyed through most of the 3 hours of testimony. The boy only had a 2 day trial with no witnesses called on his behalf. His key witnesses were held in a closet, literally with brooms and buckets and never called. Why is he annoyed?
Well anyway, I hope this nomination process ends soon so everyone can get back to doing their job. Justice waits. But on the bright side, every day with no decision is a day there’s still hope.