By Ameet Sachdev and Ray Gibson | A federal appeals court said it took the extraordinary step this week of removing a judge from the middle of a criminal trial because the judge’s conduct showed bias against the prosecutors.

A three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals explained Friday why three days earlier it ordered U.S. District Chief Judge James Holderman off the trial of a man facing drug charges. Their opinion blasted Holderman for his abuse of discretion and hostility toward prosecutors. Get the full story »