Williams v. United States

PAIR, Associate Judge:

Found guilty of possession of narcotics 1 after a jury trial, appellant was sentenced to 180 days’ straight time. Urging reversal, he contends that he was denied a fair trial by reason of the over-participation of the trial judge in the examination of witnesses and his unwarranted criticism of defense counsel in the presence of the jury. He contends also that the sentence of 180 days, while only one-half the statutory maximum, was imposed in violation of his constitutional rights and without the aid of a presentence report from the probation office. Appellant urges, in…