Oregon standoff figure wants new judge for bench trial
An Oregon man has asked for a different federal judge to handle his bench trial on misdemeanor charges stemming from last winter’s armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Duane Ehmer and his attorney said in a court filing late Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Anna Brown might not be impartial.
Ehmer is one of seven defendants preparing for a jury trial this month on felony charges filed after the 41-day standoff in southeastern Oregon.
Judge Brown ruled that misdemeanor charges faced by Ehmer and others will be heard in a separate trial before a judge.
Ehmer says that judge shouldn’t be Brown. He cites comments she reportedly made in a private meeting with jurors who acquitted standoff leader Ammon Bundy in a trial last fall.
