L’Affaire Scruggs: the Government Responds

The Wall Street Journal Blog, 2/19/8

Last week, attorneys for famed plaintiffs lawyer Dickie Scruggs and two other indictees accused of bribing a Mississippi judge, submitted a handful of motions: a motion to change venue, a motion to dismiss much of the case, and a motion to submit certain evidence. (Click here for a post from last week, which includes links to the defense briefs and exhibits.)

Well, today was the government’s turn. Prosecutors offered rebuttals to all the motions, and teed up its own choice selections of wiretap material. Click here, here, here, here, here and here for the motions, and here, here and here for transcripts from the wiretap. Tomorrow, Judge Neal Biggers is slated to hold hearing on the motions.

The juiciest bit of evidence unveiled today might well be a transcript from a taped conversation in which Scruggs, his son and colleague Sid Backstrom discuss how Judge Lackey’s order should read in a case filed against them.