Leron Liggins was convicted on drug charges last year and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but now he’s out because a judge said the wrong thing. Liggins, who is black, was in front of U.S. District Court Judge Stephen J. Murphy, who is white, when Murphy said from the bench that “This guy looks like a criminal to me. This is what criminals do.”
The appeals court said in its ruling that “As difficult as the recusal standard may be to reach, we find that the district judge’s unacceptable remarks” reached it. Liggins’ conviction may have been vacated, but the charges haven’t been dropped…his case will now start over with a new judge.
Source: Fox 2 Detroit