He explained that he was mad at the time “and I regret it.”Nonetheless, the appeals court said Murphy should have removed himself as Liggins' attorney had requested. The court threw out a heroin distribution conviction and 10-year prison sentence and ordered a new trial with a different judge. But the appeals court said a “reasonable observer” could interpret it differently. "This guy looks like a criminal to me. At trial in 2021, Murphy, a judge for 15 years, apologized and said he could be fair to Liggins.

Source: ABC News August 04, 2023 17:20 UTC