Paul Minor has appealed his conviction and asked the 5th circuit for a new trial with a new judge. Apparently he did not like the job Henry Wingate did in his last trial.
A few things stand out.
First, this appeal was filed three weeks ago on June 10. However, the Sun Herald just picked up on it today. It’s curious timing. I know Anita Lee has been swamped with her excellent Scruggs coverage, but to read the article, you’d think it just happened. As I have mentioned, the Minor PR machine is going full tilt.
Secondly, according to the 5th circuit docket, Hiram Eastland has been hired as a lawyer for Minor. What makes this interesting? Well, he was hired by the Scruggs defense team in the very early stages of the Scruggs debacle right after the indictments. Interestingly, Scruggs testified in the Minor trial. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, but it is an interesting choice of lawyers for sure and one we will be watching closely.
Third (and this isn’t new news), Paul Minor’s attorney is Washington uberlawyer Abbe Lowell of McDermott, Will & Emery. Among his other clients include a guy you might have heard of . . . William Jefferson Clinton. That’s right – he was Minority Investigative Counsel in the Presidential Impeachment proceedings. He also represented Henry Cisneros. In other words, his fights are every bit PR as they are legal, and he’s good at it. Interestingly, Lowell lists Minor’s acquittal among his accomplishments in his bio. Though technically partially correct (as he was acquitted of some charges in his first trial and hung on others), Paul Minor is now in federal prison. Lowell’s PR/Web team might want to clean up or clarify that a wee bit.
Finally, the defense team had to get special permission in the form of a motion for the 120 page whopper of an appeal. Most appeals are 1/4 of that length. It was not made available online, but I am working on getting that out.
Folks, we will be staying on top of this one. This one is every bit as slippery and slimy as the Scruggs deal.
Magnolia Tribune
