Kohberger judge fight

True crime · Heat 1.1 / 10 · 3 shows · 19m airtime

On August 31, 2026, Gregory Rauch, Bryan Kohberger's newly appointed attorney, filed motions in Ada County to disqualify Judge Stephen Hippler from the post-conviction proceedings and to move the case back to Latah County, citing the judge's scathing sentencing remarks as evidence of bias. Kohberger is separately challenging a November 13 deadline to amend his petition. A status conference is now set for next June, and the filings remain unresolved.

How 3 podcasts covered it

1. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, 2026-08-31 (3:00 to 4:45)
   Reports the motions to disqualify the judge
   Reports the new defense motions in Kohberger's post-conviction case: disqualify Judge Hippler over his sentencing remarks and move proceedings back to Latah County, plus a challenge to the November 13 petition deadline.
   New angle: Rauch filed motions to disqualify Judge Hippler and move post-conviction proceedings back to Latah County.
2. Dateline NBC, 2026-09-03 (28:15 to 29:31)
   Adds the June status conference
   Brief network anchor read on the Kohberger post-conviction filings: the motions to disqualify Judge Hippler and change venue, plus the coerced-plea claim. Adds the scheduling detail that a status conference is set for next June.
   New angle: A status conference in Kohberger's post-conviction case is scheduled for next June.
3. Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski, 2026-10-15 (1:38 to 10:54)
   Speculates on Kohberger's plea and the judge
   Recaps the disqualification motion and the bias argument drawn from the sentencing remarks, then spends most of the segment speculating about whether Kohberger understood his plea and wishing for an Anne Taylor tell-all. No new filing or ruling.
4. Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski, 2026-10-17 (11:31 to 15:06)
   Weighs the recusal motion on the merits
   Weighs the recusal motion on the merits: Hippler's sentencing remarks, the appearance-of-bias standard, and whether a new judge would help Kohberger. Faddis explains the law; the segment stays inside the bias argument already on the record.
5. Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski, 2026-10-18 (12:48 to 15:35)
   Compares the recusal fight to Daybell and Richens
   Recaps the recusal fight and the sentencing remarks behind it, then compares Hippler's position to disqualification attempts in the Lori Daybell and Corey Richens trials. Speculation about whether Hippler steps aside, plus a long tangent on prison commissary, stays inside the filings already on the record.