Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics Director Bruce Green wrote an editorial for the American Constitution Society’s blog about the judicial bias case Williams v. Pennsylvania being argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this week. The case asks whether the chief prosecutor in a death penalty case may later serve in the same case as the chief judge of the court responsible for deciding an appeal and, in the process, review conduct of lawyers he previously supervised.
Judges are entrusted with enormous power. Their role is critical to our justice system and the rule of law. They must encourage rather than undermine the public’s faith in the courts. In this instance, Chief Justice Castille failed on all counts. As I and 19 other legal experts have urged in a friend-of-the-court brief, the U.S. Supreme Court should send a clear message of disapproval and order that Mr. Williams receive the fair and impartial hearing in the state high court that he deserves. Chief Justice Castille should not be allowed to call the third and final strike.