A controversial judge has removed herself from the appeal of convicted attorney Paul Minor yesterday. Priscilla R. Owen, who was serving on a United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel overhearing Minor's corruption appeal, removed herself from the case hours before the panel's scheduled meeting.
Owen, who worked with former White House staff head Karl Rove (who is under congressional investigation for allegedly steering the Department of Justice toward investigating Democrats) removed herself after the court received a motion from Minor's attorney, Mississippi attorney Hiram Eastland.
Minor and congressional leaders suspect Rove influenced the retention of former U.S. Attorney Dunnica Lampton. Lampton was on a White House list of U.S. attorneys slated for removal, but not on the follow-up list in 2006, following Lampton's second prosecution of Minor.
Public sources report Owen has a professional and personal relationship with Rove, Eastland pointed out in his motion, with Owen paying Rove $250,000 to be her campaign manager during her bid for judgeship on the Texas Supreme Court. Eastland also pointed out that Rove and Owen are personal friends, and that Rove advocated heavily for Owen's nomination to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
"We don't know the exact nature of your relationship with Mr. Rove, but Mr. Minor, appellant in this matter, has consistently accused Mr. Rove with improper conduct in office and specifically with exerting improper political influence over the decision to prosecute him," Eastland wrote.
Owen did not see fit to recuse herself from Minor's case last year, and stayed on to rule against Minor's motion for bond pending appeal last August, even though Minor is not considered a flight risk and has a wife who is dying of cancer.
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