Court throws out conviction after judge says Black man 'looks like a criminal to me'

An appeals court says a Detroit federal judge violated the rights of a Black man when he said in court, ‘This guy looks like a criminal to me.’ The appeals court on Thursday overturned the conviction and 10-year prison sentence of Leron Liggins. Judge Stephen Murphy said he was frustrated by a series of delays when he made the remark in 2020. Murphy ultimately apologized for calling Liggins a criminal. Liggins at the time was not getting along with his lawyers and had repeatedly switched between wanting to plead guilty and going to trial. The appeals court said Murphy's remarks were “wholly incompatible” with justice.