A federal judge in Alabama refused to dismiss a Justice Department indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center and rejected the organization’s request for discovery into whether prosecutors acted with political animus.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A federal judge on Friday denied the Southern Poverty Law Center’s attempt to dismiss a Justice Department indictment and also rejected the organization’s request to obtain discovery into the motives of federal prosecutors handling the case.
The Department of Justice charged the SPLC with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of making false statements to a bank and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The case is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.
The SPLC argued that the prosecution was politically motivated and sought discovery that could support its claims regarding the government’s reasons for bringing the case. The judge rejected that request, concluding that the organization had not presented sufficient evidence to justify further inquiry into prosecutorial motives.
In addressing the SPLC’s filings, the judge wrote that they were “heavy on heated rhetoric, better suited for cable news, or a podcast.”
“The SPLC has failed to offer some evidence tending to show animus on the part of the prosecutors involved in bringing this case and that such animus resulted in the prosecution, the showing required for discovery,” the judge added. “Because it cannot satisfy that standard, it necessarily fails to satisfy the higher standard that would entitle it to dismissal of the indictment.”
The ruling allows the Justice Department’s criminal case against the SPLC to proceed while denying the organization access to additional discovery based on its allegation that political considerations drove the prosecution.
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