judicial circuit

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Recent comments by the judge in Casey Anthony's 2011 murder trial "eviscerated" any chance of getting a fair civil trial in Orlando, according to a motion filed by her bankruptcy attorneys in Tampa. Belvin Perry Jr., chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, told NBC's "Today" show last week that there was enough evidence to convict Anthony in the death of her 2-year-old daughter and "justice will finally be served one day by the judge of judges." Anthony, who filed for bankruptcy in January, has been the subject of several lawsuits since the acquittal, including a defamation suit brought by Zenaida Gonzalez. Gonzalez's attorneys want the case heard in Orange County and have asked to stay the bankruptcy matter until Anthony's civil suits are decided. Friday's motion argues against the stay request by Gonzalez. Anthony's attorneys argued that Gonzalez's case could not be held in Perry's Ninth Circuit after the "Today" interview, in which he said he felt "shock, surprise, disbelief" when he saw the verdict. "Judge Perry's public announcement that he believes Ms. Anthony is guilty and that 'God' would be the one to ultimately administrate justice further tainted the prospective jury pool and ensured that Ms. Anthony could receive a fair trial in Orange County," the filing said. Anthony's attorneys said that Perry, "the boss" of the circuit, created a perception that no judge under him can "effectively" oversee any case involving Anthony. "It is not unreasonable to fear that any Ninth Circuit judge who might preside over the Defamation Claim would, even if only subconsciously, try to mete the punishment that Judge Perry clearly believes he thought Ms. Anthony deserved," the filing said. Perry has no connection to the defamation or bankruptcy case. Gonzalez's defamation suit claims that Anthony told investigators a nanny with a similar name kidnapped her daughter. A decision to postpone the bankruptcy matter until after the civil suits was put on hold until a hearing in Tampa later this month.