Record: 1 Title: Authors: Source: Document Type: BRIBERY TRIAL OF FEDERAL JUDGE SHAKES A DEEP SOUTH SOCIETY.

DUDLEY CLENDINEN, Special to the New York Times New York Times, 1/27/1986, p8, 0p Article

In the Community Center of this quiet old city, in a sunny auditorium normally given over to the annual Bridal Show, the Sport and Tackle Show and the Saturday worship meetings of the Worldwide Church of God, the trial of Federal District Judge Walter L. Nixon Jr. is under way. Judge Nixon is charged under Federal Abstract: bribery statutes with accepting an illegal gift and with three counts of lying to a Federal grand jury here. He is only the third Federal judge to be indicted while serving on the bench. He has pleaded not guilty. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] Copyright of New York Times is the property of New York Times and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) Lexile: 1320 Full Text Word 1029 Count: ISSN: 03624331 Accession 30641591 Number: Persistent link to this http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=30641591&site= record ehost-live (Permalin k): <a Cut and href="http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=30641591 Paste: &site=ehost-live">BRIBERY TRIAL OF FEDERAL JUDGE SHAKES A DEEP SOUTH SOCIETY.</a> Database: Regional Business News Section: National Desk

HATTIESBURG, Miss., Jan. 22 In the Community Center of this quiet old city, in a sunny auditorium normally given over to the annual Bridal Show, the Sport and Tackle Show and the Saturday worship meetings of the Worldwide Church of God, the trial of Federal District Judge Walter L. Nixon Jr. is under way. Judge Nixon is charged under Federal bribery statutes with accepting an illegal gift and with three counts of lying to a Federal grand jury here. He is only the third Federal judge to be indicted while serving on the bench. He has pleaded not guilty. And as the process of selecting a jury for his trial began on Monday, he sat on the stage in a dark sport coat and slacks, relieved of his judicial duties at his own request pending the outcome of this trial. Jury Panel From His District In the well of the auditorium and lined against one wall were 125 potential jurors, drawn from throughout the Southern District of Mississippi, which Judge Nixon supervised as chief judge from his courtroom and chambers in the Gulf Coast city of Biloxi. Judge Nixon, 57 years old, is a member of a prominent political family on the coast and a judge of high reputation in legal circles here. He was appointed to the bench by President Johnson in 1968. He had sought, through his lawyers, to have the trial conducted in the Federal courthouse in Biloxi, where his own chambers are dominated by a large oil portrait of his mother, who was stabbed to death in a robbery in 1965. Judge Nixon's lawyers argued that the facilities were better in Biloxi and that the expense of living here during a long trial would be burdensome. But the prosecuting team from the Public Integrity Section of the Justice Department in Washington objected. ''Jurors approaching Biloxi from the interstate highway will likely cross the Walter L. Nixon Bridge, named after Judge Nixon's father, a former County Commissioner,'' they wrote in the brief filed with the court. ''The influence of Judge Nixon and his father exists throughout Biloxi, especially in the courthouse where Judge Nixon sits.'' Fertile Ground for Inqueries The trial judge appointed by the Supreme Court, 71-year-old District Judge James H. Meredith of St. Louis, a hunter and a fisherman like Judge Nixon and the son of a politician himself, agreed. And so, when the jury is empaneled, the arguments and testimony will begin in a small courtroom in the Federal courthouse here, in a town whose structure has been shaken by the long trail of investigations, indictments and convictions that led to this trial. Mississippi has been fertile ground in recent years for Federal prosecutors intent on ferreting out public corruption. Since 1979 they have obtained more than three dozen convictions in cases involving public officials and agencies.

But the investigations in this city, the home of the University of Southern Mississippi and the medical and service hub of the south central state, have been particularly jolting because they have revolved around a respected judge and have involved a network of families and friends prominent in the law, public office, business and banking. 'He Maintained His Contacts' ''So many of the Federal judges, they isolate themselves from normal contacts,'' said James K. Dukes, a friend of Judge Nixon who is the lawyer for another mutual friend, also a lawyer, who has been indicted in the case. ''Well, Nixon never did that. A football game, a wildlife food cookout, a cocktail party - he'd go. He didn't have to campaign. He was appointed for life. But he maintained his contacts, his friendships and associations.'' One of those friends is Wiley Fairchild, 73 years old, a wealthy businessman, bank director and philanthropist here. Judge Nixon is charged with soliciting and accepting an illegal gratuity from Mr. Fairchild in the form of interests in three oil wells, which produced $60,000 in income for the Judge, who Federal prosecutors say paid less than $11,000 for the interests after he received the income. Mr. Fairchild has pleaded guilty to giving the gratuity and has served two months in a Federal halfway house. He is expected to testify at the trial. Prosecutors charged that Mr. Fairchild, after giving Judge Nixon interests in the wells, approached the Judge to intervene for his son Drew, who was facing state drug charges stemming from more than a ton of marijuana seized in a light plane at the airport here in 1980. Drew Fairchild has since pleaded guilty to the drug charges. He was sentenced to six months in prison. Prosecutor Reported Contacted Reid Weingarten, the Federal prosecutor, has said that the judge contacted his close friend, Paul H. Holmes, a lawyer, sportsman and investor who, as District Attorney, was in charge of prosecuting the case against the younger Mr. Fairchild. Prosecutors charged that Mr. Holmes and Judge Nixon called Wiley Fairchild to assure him that the case against his son would be satisfactorily resolved. Federal documents quote Mr. Holmes as telling Mr. Fairchild, in reference to Judge Nixon, ''When this man asks me to do something, I do it.'' Mr. Dukes represented Mr. Holmes, and in exchange for having four felony counts of obstruction of justice and perjury against him dropped, Mr. Holmes has pleaded guilty to a nonfelony charge of misbehavior before the grand jury. He has appealed the prison sentence imposed. Holmes Expected to Testify Mr. Holmes is expected to testify against his long-time friend, Judge Nixon, who faces three counts of perjury for denying any aspect of involvement in the Fairchild case. Judge Nixon has remained publicly silent on the charges, letting his New Orleans defense attorney, Michael Fawer, speak for him. ''He's happy that the shoe has finally fallen,'' Mr. Fawer

said at the time of the judge's indictment last August. ''The anxiety is over. We can now fight this in a Federal courtroom.'' photo of Judge Walter Nixon Jr. (Hattiesburg American) Late City Final Edition ~~~~~~~~ By DUDLEY CLENDINEN, Special to the New York Times

Copyright of New York Times is the property of New York Times and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

The link information above provides a persistent link to the article you've requested. Persistent link to this record: Following the link above will bring you to the start of the article or citation. Cut and Paste: To place article links in an external web document, simply copy and paste the HTML above, starting with "<a href" If you have any problems or questions, contact Technical Support at http://support.epnet.com/contact/askus.php or call 800-758-5995. This e-mail was generated by a user of EBSCOhost who gained access via the WASHINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY account. Neither EBSCO nor WASHINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY is responsible for the content of this e-mail.