Everything you need to know about the corruption and bribery case against Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams—and what led up to it.
The Philadelphia judge who previously worked as a campaign lawyer for District Attorney R. Seth Williams has decided not to handle the civil case against the embattled prosecutor, citing the need for public confidence in the process.
Despite having only one month to finish reviewing 148,000 documents, indicted Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams’ lawyer says he’ll be prepared to defend his client at the May 31 trial.
Over the objections of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the federal judge presiding over embattled District Attorney Seth Williams’ corruption case has ordered the office to provide federal prosecutors with search terms to filter out the contents of Williams’ emails, so that confidential material can be identified and protected.
The judge assigned the task of determining whether to toss the civil suit seeking to remove embattled Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams from office once acted as his campaign lawyer.
U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s decision to have Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams stand trial at the end of May—less than two-and-a-half weeks after he was indicted on bribery charges—is remarkable for its rapid pace, but is ultimately justified, according to several criminal defense lawyers. While Diamond’s decision may seem harsh, attorneys who spoke to The Legal said it was understandable, given that an indicted district attorney whose license has been suspended is still in control of the largest prosecutor’s office in the state despite calls to resign
