A new judge has been assigned to oversee the sexual misconduct trial of former Asotin County Superior Court Judge Scott Gallina.
Spokane County Judge Michael Price, who was first judge to be assigned to the Gallina case, has been re-appointed to preside over the proceedings expected to get underway sometime in 2022.
The 57-year-old Gallina has pleaded not guilty to second-degree rape, indecent liberties with sexual motivation and third-degree assaults for his alleged misconduct while he was the Superior Court judge in Asotin, Garfield and Columbia counties.
Five times since Gallina’s arrest in 2019, judges have either recused themselves from the case or have been forced to step aside by prosecutors and defense attorneys. That, along with the pandemic have delayed the trial multiple times.
No date has been set for the trial which will be held in Asotin County, and several motions are awaiting rulings in the case. (Lewiston Tribune)
