COLUMBIA, S.C. — A judge's remark that a defense lawyer was a "pretty girl" has prompted the South Carolina Supreme Court to give her client a new trial.
Circuit Judge Hubert Long told jurors in the 1991 trial to ignore the mistakes of lawyer Ann Briks Walsh, who had improperly asked a prosecution witness whether he had a criminal record. He prefaced his remark by saying, "I hate to fuss at a pretty girl." He repeated the phrase later in the comment.
