Judge
Steps Down in Macias Case!
On
March 5th, federal District Judge Lowell Jensen recused himself
from Macias v. Ihde, the civil rights lawsuit filed
by the Macias family against the county of Sonoma and then-sheriff
Mark Ihde. Marķa Teresa Macias was murdered by her ex-husband
Avelino in 1996, after sheriff's deputies repeatedly ignored her
reports of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and more than 22 violations
of a domestic violence restraining order.
Jensen,
a Reagan appointee and former Alameda County district attorney,
stepped aside at the request of Macias attorney Rick Seltzer,
who charged Jensen had displayed bias against the family's claims.
Jensen is replaced by Judge Susan Illston. Illston was appointed
to the bench in 1994 by President Clinton after a long career
as a plaintiff's attorney. In 1998, she approved a class action
settlement awarding $104.5 million to women alleging workplace
sex discrimination at Home Depot.
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