Sure, but wouldn’t this still involved a jury of his peers? He’s got such notoriety that he just needs one sympathetic sagebrush rebellion enthusiast to nullify the jury, then the feds drop the case because they figure they won’t be able to convict.
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Wait, what?! He got acquitted for that? How the hell did that happen? Did he also get acquitted for the bigger armed standoff he had in Nevada where he actually pointed rifles at Federal agents?
How in the hell is this guy still walking around free.
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On a state level, that would be a risk. But bankruptcies are all handled in federal court, which means any jury there would be a far sight harder to pack with his pinheaded minions, and the judge would be unlikely to go to Bundy’s church…
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I’m sincerely curious and interested why/how that would be, why would that be different in federal court compared to state court. Wouldn’t the case still be tried near where the defendant lives or where the transgression transpired? In that case, it very well could be down the street from the church of bundy, no?
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The prosecutors really fucked it up
If they’ve done a pretty good job with Jan. 6, it’s because they didn’t want another Malheur debacle
Steve Wax, a former federal public defender who now directs Oregon’s Innocence Project, said he had wondered at the outset of the arrests why prosecutors didn’t seek a more serious charge, something that would have given the case more gravitas and signaled that the occupation broke the barriers of mere protest.
A charge of seditious conspiracy, for instance, alleges two or more people conspired to “by force to seize, take or possess any property of the United States” without authority. It brings prison sentences of up to 20 years.
Conspiracy charge, defendants' 'state of mind' proved hurdles in Ammon Bundy prosecution - oregonlive.com
Ammon Bundy and 6 followers found not guilty of conspiracy in Malheur Oregon Wildlife Refuge takeover | Boing Boing
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First of all, it would be under a federal judge - someone appointed to a lifetime term by someone far outside the state of Idaho, rather than an explicitly local, elected judge. IANAL, but I would also expect it’s a whole lot easier for a federal judge to move the trial to a neutral area, since they cover a much larger territory; the US court district of Idaho has offices in Boise, Coeur d’alene, and Pocatello, and they could probably move it to anywhere in the 9th circuit with little effort… Finally, bankruptcy hearings are fairly specialized and technical; I would genuinely laugh my ass clear off if Bundy was dumb enough to try to pro se himself through this - in fact, I’m not even sure you can rep yourself in bankruptcy.
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The Malheur occupation trial was in Portland in federal court.
As @smulder points out, the problem with that trial wasn’t judge or jury but rather that the prosecution screwed up.
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