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Questions of Conflict of Interest in Tran Walker Murder Case

081219 404

Attorneys are seeking a review of Tran Walker's juvenile court records to determine whether the judge who recently found him guilty of murder had a conflict of interest about whether a new trial should be held. The Sioux City Journal reports that the public defender's office received an allegation that District Judge Tod Deck had represented Walker in juvenile court when Deck was a lawyer.

A Public defender and an assistant Woodbury County Attorney filed a joint motion to access Walker's records on Thursday.  Chief District Judge Duane Hoffmeyer on Friday granted the request. 

Hoffmeyer appointed Deck to preside over the case in February 2018, three months after Deck was appointed to the bench. Walker waived his right to a jury trial, and Deck presided over the trial.

Republican Bret Richards is the first candidate in Iowa's Fourth Congressional District to gather the necessary signatures to have his name placed on the 2020 Republican primary ballot.

Republican candidates in the congressional district next year are required to gather 1,874 signatures, which is 1 percent of the total number of votes cast for the party's 2018 gubernatorial nominee, 

The Richards campaign has gathered more than 3,650 signatures to date, topped the 1-percent threshold in 26 counties and has already collected signatures in every county.  Other Republican 4thdistrict candidates include incumbent Steve King of Kiron, state senator Randy Feenstra of Hull, and Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor.  Sioux City's JD Scholten is running for the Democratic nomination.

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