Texas Attorney General Abbott asks school-finance judge to step down

Last edited Tue Jun 3, 2014, 02:37 AM - Edit history (1)

Attorney General Greg Abbott asked a Travis County district judge to step down from a long-running case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s school-finance system.

Abbott’s motion, filed late Monday afternoon, argued that recently revealed emails showed that Judge John Dietz engaged in improper communication with plaintiffs lawyers, raising questions about the judge’s impartiality in the complicated, high-profile case.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/texas-attorney-general-abbott-asks-school-finance-/ngCRF/ (subscription required).

[font color=green]I'll check in later to see if there is more information from other sources.[/font]

ETA:

AUSTIN — Attorney General Greg Abbott asked Monday for the district judge overseeing Texas' sweeping school finance trial to recuse himself because of perceived bias in emails he exchanged with attorneys for school districts suing the state.

In a 21-page motion, Abbott's office cited more than 30 messages from plaintiff attorneys and Judge John Dietz or his staff between March 19 and May 14. It argued the emails came "while evidence was still open" and "leave little question that the judge must be recused from further hearing or trial of this case because his impartiality might now be reasonably questioned."

The motion says emails between Dietz and his staff and school district attorneys were exchanged without the state's knowledge and only divulged May 15. Abbott's office says they improperly discussed the merits of the case.

Abbott, a Republican, is running for governor and is not arguing the case personally. But his office's motion, asks Dietz to recuse himself or refer the matter to a "regional presiding judge for consideration."

Read more: http://www.mrt.com/statenation/article_05e93fd2-eaca-11e3-9721-001a4bcf887a.html