[JURIST] A Texas court has appointed a retired district court judge to hear a motion filed by attorneys for Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) [official website; JURIST news archive], arguing that the initial judge assigned to DeLay's case, Judge Bob Perkins [official profile], should not preside over DeLay's trial on money laundering and criminal conspiracy charges because of personal political bias. Retired Judge C.W. Duncan, an 81-year old Democrat, will hold a hearing November 1 to decide if Perkins should be replaced. DeLay's attorneys argued that Perkins has given substantial contributions [JURIST report] to Democratic political candidates and liberal advocacy groups, suggesting he would not provide a fair trial for the former Republican House Majority Leader. DeLay's attorneys have also filed a request to expedite the trial, arguing that further delay would adversely affect DeLay's work in Washington. AP has more.

ALSO ON JURIST  Text: Money laundering indictment | Text: Criminal conspiracy indictment | Op-ed: Tom DeLay's Challenge to Texas Grand Jury Process