Judge's proposed ban 'vindictive,' says Ammon Bundy's lawyer in Oregon standoff

Marcus Mumford, the Utah lawyer who represented Ammon Bundy in the Oregon refuge case, called a judge's push to ban him from practicing law in federal court in Oregon "vindictive'' and based on a "biased and skewed view'' of court proceedings. Mumford questioned the authority of Oregon's Chief U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman to strip him of the prerogative. He also accused deputy U.S. marshals who tackled him and stunned him with a Taser of trying to "settle scores'' in the wake of his success. In a 138-page response to Mosman's proposed sanction filed late Friday, Mumford further wondered whether the timing of the judge's action was intended to prevent him from continuing to represent Bundy as he's set to go on trial in Nevada this week. Mumford said he feels as if he's being unfairly punished while the conduct of the marshals, who used force against him in a federal courtroom, isn't being addressed. "The fact that Judge Mosman would single me out for discipline, while excusing the marshals' open defiance of court orders, causes me grave concern about the fairness of this proceeding,'' Mumford wrote.With Bundy headed for trial this week in Las Vegas, Mumford wrote the timing of Mosman's action "causes one to wonder if it was not triggered by an effort to prevent me from continuing my representation of Mr. Bundy in Nevada.''...more