Will Convicts Appeal Cases Heard by Federal Judge Accused in Stripper Drug Case?
Lawyers are debating whether charges against the senior federal judge accused of a making a parking lot drug buy will spur successful appeals by defendants whose cases he oversaw.
The 67-year-old Atlanta federal judge, Jack Camp, is free on a $50,000 unsecured bond, according to the Fulton County Daily Report. Camp’s lawyer, William Morrison, told the publication that Camp is stepping aside from his pending cases in an action that is “analogous to a leave of absence” with pay. Misconduct proceedings will be postponed until the charges are resolved.
Camp is accused of buying cocaine and prescription pain pills from an undercover officer in a Publix parking lot while accompanied by a stripper, a woman he allegedly paid for sex who turned out to be an undercover informant. Officers found two guns in Camp’s car, leading to a felony charge of illegal use of controlled substances while in possession of a firearm, in addition to felony and misdemeanor drug charges, the Fulton County Daily Report says. The felony drug charge accuses Camp of aiding drug possession by a convicted drug felon—the stripper.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes Camp, a Reagan appointee, as “a history buff with a penchant for suspenders, bow ties and seersucker suits” whose arrest was “a stunning blow” to those who knew him. He comes from a prominent and influential family in Coweta County, Ga., and his wife served as campaign manager for Newt Gingrich in the 1970s.
Morrison doubts that the charges against his client will spur successful appeals by convicted defendants. But some defense lawyers told the Journal-Constitution it was possible..
Lawyer Buddy Parker, a former federal prosecutor, said a motion to overturn a conviction might argue “that the court was impaired or the court was addicted.” Lawyer Jerry Froelich said a defendant “would have to show Judge Camp was in league with one of the witnesses or ruling for the government because the government had something against him.”
Camp oversaw several cases while he was under investigation, the Associated Press reports. One of them involved a pilot charged with shipping cocaine for drug traffickers. He was acquitted by a jury.
