The bribery trial of suspended Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones began Tuesday with a little bit of drama, as the judge assigned the case declined to remove herself despite prosecutors' requests.
Miami-dade Circuit Judge Rosa Rodriguez said she won't be stepping down from the case, despite the fact she once faced charges for public corruption herself, according to the Miami Herald.
In a court filing last week, prosecutors said Rodriguez could “have a predisposition against the State’s prosecution due to her past personal judicial problems."
Rodriguez had been charged with two misdemeanors in 1998 over a campaign contribution she'd accepted from her then-boyfriend. Though the charges were dropped, she was suspended for four months and publicly reprimanded.
In an order Tuesday, Rodriguez called the prosecutor's request "legally insufficient." Jury selection in the Spence-Jones case was supposed to begin Tuesday but could now be delayed as prosecutors said they plan to appeal Rodriguez's decision.
Spence-Jones is accused of accepting $25,000 from a developer in return for her help in securing votes on a project. The 43-year-old was indicted this past March and suspended twice by then-Governor Charlie Crist.
She has claimed she's innocent of the charges and has called the efforts to prosecute a "witch hunt."
