In a 1998 Pa Supreme Court ruling that rejected a pivotal Abu-Jamal appeal, Castille rejected recusal with the specious declaration that he did not know any facts about the Abu-Jamal case.
Castille wrote in that 1998 ruling that he signed his name to DA opposition merely as an administrative matter and he gained no "knowledge of information" about the Abu-Jamal case in his tenure as DA.
Yet, years before that 1998 Castille declaration a top DA Office aide to Castille told a reporter that Castille was deeply involved in all death penalty and high-profile cases"both categories applicable to Abu-Jamal.
Castille also wrote in that 1998 ruling that his career long support from Philadelphia's FOP did not impact his ability to be impartial in the Abu-Jamal case. Castille received electoral campaign support from the FOP in his races for DA, his unsuccessful race for Philadelphia's mayor and his successful campaign for the Pa Supreme Court.
In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that declared it improper for a prosecutor that sought the death penalty against a defendant to rule against that defendant's appeal as a judge. That ruling involved Ron Castille in a Philadelphia murder case, tried during Castille's DA tenure where Castille as Supreme Court member rejected that convict's appeal.
In 2018, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Leon Tucker cited that 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against Castille when he granted Abu-Jamal the right to a new appeal hearing.
The Tucker ruling noted, "The claim of bias, prejudice and refusal of former Justice Castille to recuse himself is worthy of consideration as true justice must be completely just without even a hint of partiality, lack of integrity or impropriety."
That King's Bench request from the slain officer's widow criticized the Philadelphia DA Office for its failure to oppose having Tucker involved in further actions in the Abu-Jamal case.
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