Charges From ‘Judge Shopping’ Investigation Have a Strong Defense, but the Damage Is Done, Experts Say

“I think these whole proceedings are a dangerous expansion of judicial power to try to keep civil rights lawyers in line and discourage them,” said Barry Ragsdale, an attorney from Birmingham-based Dominick Feld Hyde, who was among the legal team defending litigators being questioned about their practices. “And I've heard the lawyers involved in this case, who are nationally-known lawyers for civil rights, say they'll never litigate in Alabama again. If that's true, then, unfortunately, it's mission accomplished.”