ATLANTA -- The judge presiding over the murder trial of the man accused of opening fire in an Atlanta courthouse can stay on the case. Superior Court Judge Daniel Coursey denied a motion Thursday to remove Superior Court Judge James Bodiford from Brian Nichols' case. The defense argued Bodiford can't be fair because of comments Bodiford made in a news article after the March 2005 shooting spree that began at the Fulton County Courthouse. Bodiford said in the story he was friends with slain Judge Rowland Barnes. He released a statement then describing Barnes' death as a "brutal murder." Another judge stepped down from the case in January because of comments he made to a magazine. Nichols is charged with killing Barnes and three others.
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