Bush-appointed judge may nix evidence in MySpace trial

Federal judicial appointees don't just wink away when there's a regime change. They can gunk things up for decades.

In the criminal trial of the remorseless 49-year-old MySpace hoaxster who harassed a 13-year-old girl until she committed suicide, the judge said he will likely exclude the suicide from being presented as evidence. In other words, the fact that the teen committed suicide won't even be known by the jury - even though much of the case rests on this fact.

The judge is George Wu - a Bush appointee.

Wu sniffed, "I don't necessarily think the suicide is relevant to the crime charged." Without the suicide, there never would've been a case. So the jury won't even learn of an event that's crucial to the case! How can the jury possibly make an informed judgment without being allowed to hear the facts?

If I didn't know any better, I'd almost suspect this decision was designed to let the defendant off the hook. Bush judicial appointees seem to have a penchant for granting "rights" to bullies young and old - judging by the fact that Bush elevated Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court after he ruled in appeals court that bullying schoolmates is a constitutionally protected right.

(Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/ap_on_re_us/internet_suicide)