Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's tumultuous day began with one judge suddenly declaring he could get rid of the ankle device tracking his movements and another ruling only hours later that it must go back on. By the end of the day, the embattled politician's hope of attending the Democratic National Convention was dashed.

Kilpatrick faced another tough day Friday, when he was due to learn at a preliminary hearing whether he must stand trial on assault charges. The hearing was not expected to pack the same drama that filled two courtrooms Thursday.

Hours after Wayne County Circuit Judge Leonard Townsend told Kilpatrick to remove his electronic tether, District Judge Ronald Giles ordered the mayor to put it back on, a result of legal pingpong between Kilpatrick's two separate criminal cases.

Townsend was overseeing Kilpatrick's arraignment on perjury and other charges. Besides removing the tether, the judge said the mayor could attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month - over heated objections by a prosecutor.

But by afternoon, Giles reinstated the tether as a condition of Kilpatrick's release in the assault case. It was back on the mayor's ankle nearly four hours after it was removed.

Kentucky supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton say the Kentucky Democratic Party has violated rules by substituting a backer of Barack Obama for a Clinton supporter in the delegation that will attend the national convention in Denver later this month.

About two dozen Clinton faithful in Kentucky signed an official challenge filed to the Democratic National Convention's credentials committee to revoke the delegate status for state Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, D-Lexington, who backed Obama in the primary, and give her spot to a Clinton supporter.

This controversy started after the party had to make three changes in the delegation's roster after officials erred at the state party's convention in June by selecting more male delegates than female. National Democratic Party bylaws require delegations to include as many women as men.

Three men — all Clinton supporters — resigned from their spots: Jeff Harney, a Northern Kentucky Democrat selected as an at-large delegate; Jesus Menendez, a pledged-Clinton delegate; and state Treasurer Todd Hollenbach, who also backed Clinton in the primary and was selected as a party leader/elected official delegate.

Last month, Harney was replaced with female Clinton supporter Sarah Allen, while Menendez's wife and fellow Clinton backer Shirley Menendez took his place.

 

See also: Insurgent Kentucky Democrat Address To Clinton Supporters