Keate Trial to stay put

In a move pretty much telegraphed earlier by a "grant," Allen Keate's trial will not me moving:

The Salt Lake Tribune - "51st District Judge Barbara Walther denied a state request to move the trial of Allan Eugene Keate from Schleicher County to Tom Green County.

Keate is the second member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and resident of the Yearning for Zion Ranch to go to criminal trial as an outcome of the state's historic raid on the ranch in April 2008.

Keate's attorney opposed the motion."

You don't approve funding to provide for Schleicher county trial staff, when you're going to move the trial.

The San Angelo Standard-Times - "The Tom Green County Commissioners Court (Tuesday) morning (November 17th) approved funds to ease the stress of staffing legal proceedings in those cases.

Specifically, the Commissioners Court met <> to approve a grant that pays for a part-time court administrator to help the 51st District Court in cases brought against several men associated with the FLDS Yearning for Zion Ranch outside of Eldorado.

Money for the grant comes from the County Essential Services out of the Texas governor’s office.

'It’s fully funded,' Nathan Cradduck, the county auditor, said. 'There is no match required.'

The grant is a continuation of a grant that expired in August 2009, Cradduck said.

The money for the position will extend the grant to August 2010. The grant is for about $37,000."

This gives us clear insight into how Barbara Walther decides things. It's not in court in front of the attorneys in the presence of their arguments. It's behind closed doors without the persuasion of arguments.

Why?

Because how could you grant the money to do the business of the court in Schleicher county, until you knew you were going to do business there? Clearly there was no chance the trial would move, no matter how persuasive the argument.

The outcome doesn't bother me at all, if Allen Keate wants to be tried in Schleicher county, it's great that it worked out that way. My point is that Walther's decisions have nothing to do with facts or arguments. They have only to do with what she wants.

This makes me wonder if the state is starting to worry about the way things are being done. I'd want my convictions to stick, if I were your normal everyday prosecutor.

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