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DEL.ICIO.USRain delays Campbell’s day in court
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The federal corruption trial of former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell got a late start today, mainly because the judge in the case, Richard Story, was stuck in traffic during a rainy Monday morning.
By 8 a.m. at least 60 people had crowded into the area outside the 21st-floor courtroom at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in downtown Atlanta, where opening statements were set to begin. The trial was expected to begin at 9 a.m.
Campbell, along with this wife, Sharon, and brother Ralph Campbell, were among the crowd, which at one point began singing the old civil rights rallying song “We Shall Overcome.” After one verse, U.S. marshals stepped in and ordered the group to stop singing because other cases were being heard in the area, although none had started. The crowd then began praying.
Campbell mingled, thanking supporters for their presence.
“Of course I’m pleased,” the former Atlanta mayor said. ” I’m pleased to have the support of the people who believe in me. It makes a difference.”
Campbell has pleaded not guilty to charges that he used his tenure as Atlanta mayor from 1994 to 2002 to take bribes and illegal campaign contributions in exchange for giving friends city contracts. He also denies prosecutors’ claims that he evaded paying taxes.
The jury of seven men and five women is expected to take six to eight weeks to decide the case.
Michael Langford, among the Campbell supporters at the courthouse today, predicted, “It’s going to be all right. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be all right.”
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