WOODLAND — A hearing to decide whether a Yolo Superior Court judge should be disqualified from the trial of a Davis child assault suspect has been scheduled for March 15.
The Yolo County Public Defender’s Office filed a motion to remove Judge Paul Richardson from the Darnell Dorsey case, questioning his ability to be fair and impartial in light of a dispute involving another court case.
In that matter, Deputy Public Defender Martha Sequeira twice subpoenaed Richardson to testify regarding allegations that a defendant in gang-related shooting case had made a threatening gesture toward the victim while he was on the witness stand during a preliminary hearing.
Richardson opposed both subpoenas and prevailed, and Dorsey’s attorneys — one of whom is Sequeira — now allege in court documents that he has “demonstrated bias and animosity” toward them and their office.
Richardson, formally served with the disqualification motion on Monday, has until next week to file a response. Meanwhile, next week’s scheduled trial for Dorsey, accused of fatally beating his girlfriend’s toddler son, has been postponed.