"The indictment, unsealed Monday in U.S, District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, arose from an inquiry into whether lawyers were "judge-shopping" - looking for sympathetic judges - in a case challenging Alabama's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. On May 20, 2022, three federal judges in Alabama questioned Charles, asking if he had called any judge's chambers about the assignment of the case, according to the indictment. Charles said he had not. But he "later amended his answers to state he actually called a judge's clerk," Reuters reports. "He apologized for his earlier response.""
"U.S. District Judge Liles Burke of Alabama's Northern District had sanctioned Charles in February along with two other lawyers, saying they were trying to "game the system" by withdrawing cases assigned to him and filing a new lawsuit in a different district, according to Reuters. Burke's ruling noted the change in Charles's testimony and his apology. The new case did end up being assigned to Burke, an appointee of Donald Trump, but even though the plaintiffs' lawyers feared he wouldn't be sympathetic, he blocked enforcement of certain aspects of the ban. An appeals court overturned this ruling."
A federal indictment charges Carl Charles with making a false statement under oath about contacts regarding judge assignment in a suit challenging Alabama's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The indictment followed a May 20, 2022 questioning by three federal judges in Alabama, when Charles initially denied contacting any judge's chambers and later amended his answers to say he had called a judge's clerk and apologized. U.S. District Judge Liles Burke previously sanctioned Charles and others for allegedly trying to "game the system" by withdrawing cases and refiling elsewhere. The case assignment, rulings, and an overturned decision followed; Charles pleaded not guilty and Lambda Legal called the indictment unjustified.
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