Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Peter Deutsch claims that his opponent, former University of South Florida president Betty Castor, did not speak out about "terrorist professor Sami Al-Arian."
"Shhhhh," the ad says, "Al-Arian was calling the '93 World Trade Center bombers."
Not true, say Al-Arian's attorneys. And they want to make sure potential jurors in his upcoming terrorism trial haven't been biased by the "reckless" ad.
They filed a motion Friday asking the judge to let them to amend the jury questionnaire, which will be sent to potential jurors before the January trial.
Jury questionnaires, which lawyers use to help determine potential prejudices, ask for background information on potential jurors, like their occupation. They also can ask if they have read anything in the newspapers or seen TV reports about the case.
The Al-Arian questionnaire already includes questions about media coverage. But it was written before Deutsch began running the ad.
"Anyone listening to Peter Deutsch would have a highly prejudicial view of my client and a highly inaccurate one," said lawyer Linda Moreno.
A federal judge is expected to decide the issue in the next few weeks.
JUDGE JUDGED: The Hillsborough County Judicial Campaign Practices Committee has found Circuit Judge Charles "Ed" Bergmann committed an ethical violation for statements he allegedly made about the depth of his support among family-law attorneys.
Beth Reineke, a lawyer who is running for Bergmann's seat, complained that Judge Bergmann claimed a majority of family-law attorneys supported his candidacy.
"We found a violation because he didn't refute what she said," said Tom Scarritt, chairman of the campaign practices committee. "We don't think it was an ascertainable number."
Bergmann, for his part, insists he only said "an overwhelming number" of family-law attorneys supported him. As evidence, he points to the number of attorneys that have contributed to his campaign versus Reineke's.
BELIEVERS: Brandon's Bell Shoals Baptist Church recently hosted a candidates forum.
About 50 turned out to make their case before about 650 voters. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians and write-in candidates attended.
Voters received copies of scorecards from a church questionnaire asking candidates about topics such as same-sex marriage, abortion, school vouchers and the Patriot Act.
One of the biggest rounds of applause of the night came for U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, when he said: "If we're not pushing our beliefs, we're going to get run over by somebody else's."
GOODBYE, CIVILITY: Candidates for the Hillsborough County Commission have been remarkably civil to one another in the final weeks of the primary season. You knew that couldn't last.
Democrat contenders for the District 6 at-large seat, Bob Buckhorn and Ed Austin, have decided to mix it up a little.
Austin sent out a campaign mailer this week that prominently asks: "Buckhorn again? Isn't it time we stopped recycling career politicians?"
Buckhorn has been emphasizing his 16 years in government, including eight on the Tampa City Council. He also unsuccessfully ran for Tampa mayor in 2003 and for the Legislature, which the flier notes.
Austin said the flier is nothing new, because he has been mailing it out for three months, mostly to absentee voters.
Buckhorn is taking exception this final weekend of the primary campaign, dashing off an e-mail to supporters and others. In it, he describes Austin's flier as a last-minute attack from someone trailing in the polls, and an attempt to breathe life into a flagging campaign by degrading his years of service.
He goes on to note Austin's inconsistent record of voting in elections in which he was eligible to cast a ballot as a citizen. He claims Austin, a native of Scotland who grew up in New Jersey, has voted fewer than half the times he could.
"It is hard to imagine anyone wanting to be a full-time commissioner when they have barely been a part-time citizen," he writes.
Reached late Friday, Austin said he suspects Buckhorn's polls have given him reason to fear Tuesday's primary outcome.
"It's desperate measures by a desperate man," Austin said. "I smell panic in the Buckhorn camp."
Buckhorn did not return a call seeking comment.
Times staff writers Graham Brink, Chris Goffard, Bill Varian and Letitia Stein contributed to this report.
