Judge says state won't pay for ex-Durham DA's appeal

Defense attorney James Van Camp said Tuesday that his office hasn't withdrawn from Cline's case in light of Hobgood's ruling.

Hobgood ordered in March that Cline be removed as district attorney after holding a four-day inquiry into her conduct. He ruled that she had "brought the office of the Durham County District Attorney and the entire Durham County justice system into disrepute" through her repeated public criticisms of Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson.

Cline alleged in court filings that Hudson was biased against her and her office and asked to have him barred from handling criminal cases in Durham County.

In the lengthy motions, she said the judge has "the reprobate mind of a monarch," said his conduct involved "moral turpitude, dishonesty and corruption," that his actions "raped" crime victims and "kidnapped the rights of victims and their families" and that his only goal was "to demean the district attorney at all costs."

Two other judges found her complaints to be groundless.

The North Carolina State Bar also is seeking disciplinary action against Cline for her attacks on Hudson. A hearing has been scheduled for October.