Longtime Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas stood before television cameras last month to announce charges in the sensational case of a Newport Beach doctor and former reality TV star accused of drugging and raping women.
But his opponent for reelection wasn’t going to let Rackauckas get his photo op without a challenge. So Todd Spitzer held his own news conference outside the D.A.’s office, blasting the incumbent for taking nine months to file the charges once a search warrant was served.
A week later, when Rackauckas filed more charges in the case, Spitzer appeared outside a courthouse again handing out copies of the warrant.
The spat turned into a name-calling legal battle when a judge ordered reporters to give back the search warrant — before reversing himself after news organizations protested. Spitzer said he got the warrant before it was sealed. But the district attorney said his challenger was endangering the case by his actions.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.