BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A public defender held in contempt during a murder trial in October is asking for Baton Rouge District Judge Louise Hines to be removed from an upcoming murder case set to begin Monday.

The judge is refusing to step aside, and the defense says this destroys any chance of impartiality in the upcoming double-murder trial of Kendrick Henderson, where the same defense attorney has been appointed.

Judge Louise Hines held two attorneys, Stephen Sterling and LaDeisha Woods, in contempt this month for actions during a separate murder trial, ordering them to pay fines. They have since appealed that decision to the First Circuit.

As that plays out, Sterling believes Judge Hines cannot be impartial during the upcoming murder trial where he is serving as a defense lawyer.

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