Judge Edith Jones has been accused of making racist comments and discussing pending cases. I previously wrote about that here. Well, one of those pending cases came before the Fifth Circuit. A man convicted of rape and murder and scheduled for execution has requested a stay of execution. His lawyers asked that Judge Jones recuse herself from this decision. She refused. So, two other judges on the panel agreed the case should be heard by a new panel – without Judge Jones.
See San Antonio Express News report. Judges are held to a high ethical standard. They are required to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. I am surprised she would refuse the request. Perhaps, she has difficulty accepting that her comments may undermine the appearance that she can remain objective about the case.