Stop-and-Frisk Judge's Attorney Says NYC Engaged in 'Character Assassination'

Anything to stop the ruling from being implemented

An attorney for the federal judge who was removed from cases involving the NYPD's stop-and-frisk practice said Sunday that the city has tried to bring "character assassination into the judicial process."

Judge Shira Scheindlin's lawyer fired back after the city on Saturday asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate reforms that Scheindlin recommended in her August ruling, which found that stop-and-frisk violated constitutional rights of minorities. The court, in removing Scheindlin, put the reforms on hold and questioned her impartiality. The city has appealed her ruling. City lawyers argued the judge, who gave interviews before her decision, may have violated the city's right to due process.