I'm sure mopti will post this if I don't

[waider]

The trial of five anti-war protesters accused of criminal damage of a United States Navy plane at Shannon Airport has collapsed following a suggestion by the defence that the trial judge had attended the inauguration of George W Bush as US president.

(from Ireland.com, who lock their content up behind a paid registration for which several very public passwords no longer work)

Comments

'Tis to be found elsewhere too

[mopti.livejournal.com]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1107/shannon.html

http://breakingnews.ie/2005/11/07/story229124.html

I rather like the distinction between "actual bias" and the "perception of bias" that was the concern. And the judge said the claims about the contacts were half right, half wrong.

Oh, and Tom Delay surfaces here too.

[dr-strych9.livejournal.com]

As one of the protesters who threw eggs at his limo? Because I can't imagine how anything else could cause the trial to collapse.

[waider.livejournal.com]

check mopti's comments above - it's basically the complete avoidance of any suggestion of impropriety rather than any actual impropriety.