BOSTON, March 14 (UPI) -- A former federal prosecutor cannot preside over the trial of Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday.
The court granted a motion by defense lawyers, The Boston Globe reported. The opinion, written by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter sitting as a circuit judge, pointed to U.S. District Judge Richard Stearn's history with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Stearns was an assistant U.S. attorney while Bulger was serving as an FBI informant.