Trial date looms for Minor, others in Miss. judicial bribery case
Published 7:05 pm Thursday, January 4, 2007
The second bribery trial of Mississippi coast attorney Paul S. Minor and two former judges is scheduled for Jan. 16 in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate’s office said Wednesday that no pretrial hearings have been scheduled. Wingate is expected to rule on any pending motions — including one to release Minor from jail — when the trial begins.
Minor has been held at the Madison County jail since his bond was revoked in October after Wingate said the attorney had “pushed boundaries” in violating conditions of his pretrial release.
Minor is accused of bribing former Circuit Judge John Whitfield and former Chancery Judge Wes Teel in return for favorable rulings. Whitfield and Teel are accused of taking bribes. All three have pleaded innocent.
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz Jr. was acquitted of bribery charges after a three-month trial in 2005. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges against Minor, Teel and Whitfield.