Evening star., 1960-04-27
Judge Let's
Sfeps0ut Of
Hoffa Trial
Admits No Bios,
Yields Bench to
Judge Jackson
By LEE M. COIN
Star Staff Writer

Dickinson Let's today disquali-
fed himself in the scheduled
trial of James r. Hoffa, presi-
dent of the Teamsters Union,
on corruption charges by court
appointed monitors.
Chief Judge David A. Pine
reaSSigned the civil trial-in
which the monitors seek to oust
Mr.. Hoffa from office-to Fed
eral District Judge Joseph R.
Jackson.
Judge Let's electrified the
courtroom when he announced
his decision to disqualify him
self.
Mr.. Hoffa had filed an affi-
davit accusing the 85-year-old
judge of personal bias and
prejudice"
Judge Let's said he had mo
thought or intention of admit
ting the truth of the affidavit
or any part of it" in stepping
aside.
Has No Choice
He said he had no choice
under the law. Judge Let's said
he agreed with the interpreta-
ton of H. Clifford Alder, Mr..
Hoffa's lawyer, who said in a
legal memorandum that the
judge may pass only on the
legal sufficiency of the affidavit,
not on the truth or falsity of
the facts alleged"
This means that if the affi-
davit is in good legal order and
is based on more than mere
rumor, the judge against whom
it is directed has no choice but
to disqualify himSelf-without
any determination of the truth
or falsity of the allegations of
bias and prejudice.
The chief allegation in Mr..
Hoffa'S affidavit was that Judge
Let's had informed Hugh Sidey,
a reporter on Time Magazines
Washington staff, that he in
tended to remove Mr.. Hoffa
from office.
After disqualifying himself,
Judge Let's directed a court
official to read into the record
what he described as an un-
solicited letter from Mr.. Sidey.
In the April 16 letter to
Judge Let's Mr.. Sidey said Mr..
Hoffa's allegations were "un-
true" He said Judge Let's
never made the statement about
removing Mr.. Hoffa and added
that he never told anyone that
the judge had said any such
thing.
Accusation Denied
Mr.. Sidey earlier had cate
gorically denied Mr.. Hoffa'S
charges in talking to reporters.
Although the point was not
completely clear, several law
yers in the case said Judge
Let's had disqualified himself
only for the civil trial of Mr..
Hoffa on corruption charges
and is expected to continue
handling the rest of the
TeamSter-monitor Case.
Judge Pine said Judge Let's
had told him yesterday that he
intended to disqualify himself.
Judge Jackson is a retired
judge of the Court of Customs
and Patent Appeals. He
handles Federal District Court
cases by designation.
Taking over the Hoffa case
Immediately, Judge jackson
rejected Mr.. Hoffa's plea for
postponement of the trial.
Lawyers for Mr.. Hoffa and the
union argued that variety of
motions and appeals pending
before Judge Let's and the
United States Court of Appeals
here should be disposed of be-
fore the trial.
Judge Jackson said he will
hear arguments tomorrow on
Mr.. HoffaS motion for an in
junction to call off the trial.
At one point in arguments
before Judge Jackson, seven
lawyers representing or claim
ing to represent a variety of
clients in the case were lined
up at the bar-in eloquent testi-
mony to the confused status of
the case.
The trial of Mr.. Hoffa is
based on charges by the moni-
tors that he misused $500, 900
Of union money in a Florida
real estate venture.
Also awaited today were rul-
ings on a Hoffa demand for an
immediate Teamster convention
to end court supervision of the
union, on a motion to disqual-
ify Martin F. O'Donoghue as
chairman of the three-man
board of monitors, on a mix-up
about who represents the un-
ion and who speaks for anti
Hoffa Teamsters on the board
of monitors and on a plea by
some of Mr.. Hoffa's support
See HOFFA, Page AS