A federal judge in Milwaukee has taken the unusual step of refusing to accept new criminal cases and recusing himself from existing ones, in a move observers say is about politics, impropriety and, possibly, hurt feelings....it all started after a ruling in July by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Prosecutors thought Stadtmueller showed bias in a gun case and took the rare move of asking the appeals court to remove him, which it did. Stadtmueller accused the U.S. Attorney's office of judge-shopping.Before Stadtmueller was given a lifetime appointment to the federal bench in 1987, he ran the U.S. Attorney's office in Milwaukee. Over the years, he has criticized the type of cases his successors have brought to federal court. When Stadtmueller was a prosecutor, most federal cases involved white-collar crimes. Now, there are many more gun and drug cases, and the judge's frustration is apparent in court documents. In taking Stadtmueller off the gun case, the appeals court ruled that he broke judicial rules by suggesting a plea bargain. Stadtmueller had questioned the government's decision to bring the case to federal court, calling it "an embarrassment to the justice system." Documents also show Stadtmueller sought to avoid a conviction that would have sent the defendant to prison for at least 15 years.
