Who is this Judge Nelson from the Zimmerman case?

Judge Deborah Nelson

I do not like Judge Nelson, although I might if she were on the right side of this case - she's transparently biased, or has been threatened by the powers that be not to let certain evidence come in under any circumstances.  She treats the defense like they are her bad children and scolds them in court.  I can't imagine this makes a good impression with the jury - hopefully they are smarter than to be swayed by Judge Nelson's obvious "tude".

From Judgepedia: "Debra Steinberg Nelson is a Seminole County judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court in Florida. She was appointed by then-Governor Jeb Bush in May of 1999 (effective in June). Her current term expires in January of 2019.

Nelson received her B.A. degree (Psychology) from the University of South Florida in 1975 and her J.D. degree from the South Texas College of Law in 1979.

Nelson began her career in 1980 at the Broward County State Attorney's Office. She served as the Chief Prosecutor of that office prior to leaving it in July of 1983 for the state Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services. She served there as staff counsel until March of 1986, when she joined the law firm of Borroughs, Grimm, Bennett & Griffin, P.A. She became a partner of the firm in 1988 and became head of the litigation department the following year. In August of 1992, she started her own practice, Debra Steinberg Nelson, P.A. She worked in that capacity until she became a Circuit Court judge in June of 1999. She was also an arbitrator for the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Floridafrom 1992 to 1999.

2012 election

Nelson was unopposed and automatically re-elected following the primary election on August 14, 2012. ]See also: Florida judicial elections, 2012

Notable cases

Georgia Zimmerman murder trial

August 2012

Judge Nelson was assigned to the trial of George Zimmerman in August of 2012, after Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. was removed at the request of the defense. Zimmerman is charged with shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a case that has gained national attention."

Appeals Court Spanks Zimmerman Judge

On June 3, the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach served up a dose of troubling news for the Florida state attorney’s office prosecuting George Zimmerman.

The court overturned Judge Debra Nelson’s decision and ruled unanimously that Zimmerman’s attorneys were entitled to depose Benjamin Crump, the civil attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old shot by Zimmerman in February 2012.

At question was Crump’s phone interview in March 2012 with Dee Dee, the mystery 16-year-old phone friend of Trayvon Martin who would later morph into the 18-year-old State Witness No. 8.

Little about this witness added up. She spelled trouble for the prosecution because she and/or Crump were lying about her age and her hospitalization from day one.

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