Notorious kids-for-cash judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr.'s effort to win a new trial got a boost Thursday when his trial attorneys, accused of being ineffective, took the stand and freely admitted they have no good explanation for failing to request a key jury instruction. Testifying before a federal judge who will decide whether to vacate Ciavarella's convictions, prominent defense attorney William Ruzzo, of Kingston, said he and his colleague Al Flora Jr., the former Luzerne County public defender, "absolutely" should have requested an instruction about the five-year statute of limitations related to some of the charges.
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