Nancy Grace Says Clancy Defense Attorney Should Face Contempt Charges Over Mistrial Outburst

Legal commentator Nancy Grace said Friday that defense attorney Kevin Reddington should have been held in contempt of court following his reaction to a mistrial declared in the Lindsay Clancy case in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Speaking on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” with guest host Jason Chaffetz, Grace said Judge Sullivan handled the courtroom well despite what she described as Reddington’s behavior both inside the courtroom and on the courthouse steps afterward.

“I believe Judge Sullivan got it right when he told the jurors to think back on Winston Churchill, who fought against the Nazis and the Germans and even parliament and said, ‘You must brace yourself to do your duty.’ And that is what this lone juror did,” Grace said. “As much as that guy right there, Kevin Reddington, wants to throw a fit, Kevin Reddington, AKA, drama, out on the front of the courthouse steps and in the courtroom treating the judge like that, he should have been held in contempt.”

Grace said she was struck by the judge’s patience. “The judge has quite the judicial demeanor. I don’t know that I would have had the patience that judge had for Reddington,” she said. “But that said, think about it — brace for duty. That juror stood strong. Nothing in the law says that you must bend to the will of the other jurors when it’s against your conscience. And that juror held out.”

According to Grace, Reddington had a multi-page document prepared for the court at the moment the mistrial was declared and the jury was being brought back in, arguing that the holdout juror was biased against the mentally ill.

“If Reddington doesn’t like it, sour grapes. And what does he do? Go out and whine on the courthouse steps,” Grace said. She noted that seeking immediate review from a higher court after an unfavorable ruling isn’t unusual in criminal cases, including murders she has handled, but said the timing here — as the mistrial was being declared — was notable.

“If you read his — what Reddington said with no factual basis at all, he’s claiming a constitutional bias against the mentally ill,” Grace said. “It’s all technical legal term, Jason. B.S.”

Grace predicted the case will be retried, pushing back on defense attorneys who have suggested otherwise. “Retrials work in the favor of the state,” she said. “So, buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, Reddington.”