Left-wing activist and Vanderbilt Divinity School student Justin Jones was reportedly unsuccessful in his effort to remove a special prosecutor assigned to try his upcoming assault case.
This, according to The Tennessean and the Nashville-based NewsChannel 5.
Jones allegedly assaulted former Tennessee Speaker Glen Casada at the state capitol earlier this year.
NewsChannel 5 reported that “General Sessions Judge Diane Turner rejected the motion to disqualify Coffee County DA Craig Northcott, who was assigned as a special prosecutor in the case against Justin Jones.”
As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Jones’ legal team had a problem with Northcott going to other venues to express his private views about Islam and same-sex marriages.
Jones and his legal team wanted Northcott disqualified from trying the case.
With that effort unsuccessful, Jones took to his personal Facebook page this week.
“We cannot let today’s decision or the brokenness of our legal system to turn us around,” Jones wrote.
“It just gives us even more fire to organize in our communities and uplift the role of prosecutors and judicial officers (who too often operate without accountability) in upholding systemic racism.”
According to The Tennessean, Northcott called Jones’ tactic “a political stunt to get me out of the way to handpick someone else. I’m just asking for the court to let me do my job.”
“Turner scheduled a preliminary hearing for Jones’ case for Nov. 21,” according to the paper.
As The Tennessee Star reported, Jones allegedly aimed a beverage at outgoing Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada earlier this year — but he instead allegedly hit State Rep. Debra Moody, R-Covington.
Moody told The Star at the time that the beverage, whatever it was, was hot.
Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk made Northcott a special prosecutor in Jones’ case.
Jones is currently banned from entering the state capitol in Nashville because of the alleged assault.
Jones did not face any consequences for allegedly disrupting a Marsha Blackburn rally in Nashville last year. Judge Turner dismissed Jones’ case in that matter in what authorities described as “a flat dismissal.”
As The Star reported last fall, Jones’ own words in 2016 contradict his many claims he engages only in peaceful political protest.
As The Tennessee Ledger reported in a glowing piece, Jones grew up in Oakland, Calif. a city well known for producing far-left fringe protesters.
Jones came to Nashville after receiving an endowed scholarship to study social justice and activism at Fisk University, The Ledger reported.
In February 2017, The Star reported Jones was among several local left-wing activists who harassed and intimidated former State Sen. Mae Beavers and her staff at their offices at the State Capitol in Nashville.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
[…] following after organizing many protests at Tennessee’s capitol harassing politicians. As the Tennessee Star reported, the Vanderbilt divinity student allegedly assaulted former Speaker of the House Glen […]
[…] following after doing many protests at Tennessee’s capitol harassing politicians. As the Tennessee Star reported, Vanderbilt divinity student is charged with allegedly assaulting former Speaker of the […]
What is his OCA number? Is he not in the Davidson County Criminal Court ClerK search?
He tries to assault someone he thinks is enabling ‘racism’, and whines ‘racist’ DA, while being a paid race agitator? Spends his time running around screaming systemic racism everywhere just shows that you are projecting your own racist views. Should be charged with a hate crime.
Who endowed his scholarship to come to Nashville at attend Fisk?