Judge Murphy Case is One for the Books

Michael Murphy

From latimes.com -A judge in Las Cruces who called himself 'rude, crude and socially unacceptable' is accused of soliciting campaign contributions in return for political favors.  The scandal has reverberated statewide, with some seeing it as evidence of rampant judicial corruption. Murphy's allies portray it as little more than an indiscretion by someone caught talking out of school, and view the criminal charges as a broad interpretation of the bribery statute. "I know people who think this is a partisan witch hunt to get Democrats off the bench so the governor can replace them with Republicans," said Heath Haussamen, a Las Cruces journalist who runs a popular blog called NMPolitics.net. But Haussamen said some Las Cruces Democrats were torn between supporting Murphy and condemning his objectionable comments. "It puts a number of Democrats in a very uncomfortable situation because of the dynamics at play," he said.  More News New Mexico

Judge Murphy Case is One for the Books