A new judge will be assigned to the Amadou Diallo police murder trial as early as Monday, state court officials said yesterday.
“In all likelihood, the announcement … will be made early next week,” said David Bookstaver, spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration.
The new judge will replace Bronx Supreme Court Justice Patricia Ann Williams. A state appeals panel this week ordered the trial moved to Albany, ruling that the jury pool in New York was tainted by media coverage of the shooting.
A top candidate for the job is Administrative Judge Thomas Keegan, the top-ranking judge for Albany County and its six surrounding counties, according to legal sources familiar with the judicial system there.
The new judge may also be chosen from a small group of Albany judges with the most experience handling felony cases: Thomas Breslin, Larry Rosen and Dan Lamont, the sources said.
The appointment will be made by Judge Joseph Traficanti Jr., the deputy chief administrative judge for the state courts outside New York City, in consultation with state Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman, officials said.
Lawyers for the four police officers accused of murder in the Feb. 4 shooting death of the unarmed Diallo said they don’t expect the trial to begin until weeks after the original Jan. 3 starting date.
The new judge must also rule on several lingering issues before the trial can begin — including the contents of a questionnaire for prospective jurors and the defense claim that Bronx prosecutors are taking too long to turn over the names of witnesses.
Meanwhile, Diallo’s parents continued to decry the venue change, and the Rev. Al Sharpton demanded that federal prosecutors indict the four officers for violating Diallo’s civil rights — taking the case over from Bronx prosecutors.
A spokesman for Manhattan U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said the feds would step in only if the upcoming trial ends in acquittal, and a review of the evidence supports the need for federal criminal civil rights charges.