"This is Mississippi not Pennsylvania.
Which raises even more questions- I find it hard to believe that a judge in Mississippi would allow charges like this to stand unless there was some real substance to them."
What about a Clinton appointed Federal Judge?
From the article:
After a federal appeals court denied an emergency appeal to stop prosecution of 11 Christians on Tuesday, Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan ordered four of the Christians to stand trial on three felony (criminal conspiracy, ethnic intimidation, and riot) and five misdemeanor charges. If convicted, they could face up to 47 years in prison.
It looks like all the Federal judge did was deny an emergency appeal request. These people are being charged in State Court.