As short and to the point as he is known to be, Judge Biggers got the week off to a fast start with his Monday morning Order on Zach Scruggs’ Motion for Depositions:
“Upon due consideration, the court orders that the government respond to the defendant’s motion for depositions by Friday, March 11, 2011”.
My “friendship circle” includes an attorney who admits that north Mississippi Federal District Judge Neil Biggers is as hard as they come – but he really likes Biggers. I recently asked if he thought Biggers had been fair in his treatment of Zach and the Scruggs defendants. His answer was a “qualified yes” – qualified by “based on the information the Government gave him”.
It’s without question at this point that the Government withheld certain evidence from the Scruggs defendants and Judge Biggers – and that Biggers, in turn, made decisions based on – incomplete and/or inaccurate information.
In other words, the Government needs to cut the “snark” from its replies and make the admissions necessary to come clean with Judge Biggers. IMO, those admissions include misrepresenting Zach as “arrogant” (“haughty) when “indignant” (“resentful”) was and is the appropriate word.