U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth praised the qualifications of the judge assigned to the criminal case of former White House aide I. Lewis Libby.

Lamberth said Judge Reggie B. Walton is "careful and methodical, and he'll go to great pains to see a trial conducted the right way." Lamberth and Walton sit on the same court in Washington, D.C.

"You're always going to get a fair trial with him," Lamberth told The New York Times, "but if you're convicted, he's going to ensure you do adequate time to reflect the crime."

Walton is a former prosecutor and a White House official who served during the first Bush administration. He was given to the Libby case by random assignment.

Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide, is charged with five counts of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in the CIA leak probe [PDF: US v. Libby].

Get the Story:
Judge Steps Into Another Brawl: The Libby Case (The New York Times 11/4)
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Relevant Links:
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, Special Counsel - http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc

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