Fallout from Thomas ruling

Bruised, but not broken.

That's how local observers described District Attorney John Tyson Jr.'s political standing a day after his office suffered one of the toughest losses in his 15-year tenure as the top prosecutor for Mobile County.

Former Mobile County Circuit Judge Herman Thomas on Monday was found not guilty of a series of charges that he spanked and sexually abused male inmates in his private courthouse office.

Tyson, a Democrat, is up for re-election next year, and said Tuesday he fully intends to seek a third six-year term. The veteran prosecutor was appointed by then-Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. in 1994 and re-elected in 1998 and 2004.

"If the election was tomorrow, it might be a problem for him. But it's still a long way off, and a lot can happen between now and then," said Sam Fisher , a political science professor at the University of South Alabama.

Tyson, who is white, faced criticism from within the black community for his decision to prosecute Thomas, a black Democrat who was considered a rising political star. A local chapter of the NAACP earlier this year called on Tyson to resign, saying his pursuit of the Thomas case was "racially motivated" — a charge Tyson vigorously denied.

Thomas has been disgraced by the case, and it would take a major comeback to resurrect his political career. But he still counts a strong local following, and his support could grow following Monday's verdict.

"I hope that he will be made whole again because the jury has spoken. Herman Thomas isgoing to have good support in whatever direction he chooses to go," said state Rep. James Gordon , D-Mobile.

Gordon, a member of the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus, said the jury is still out on Tyson.

"The important thing is that he treats every case fairly, whether it involves blacks or whites, and his record should reflect that," Gordon said. "But I think we got a strong message (Monday) that things are getting better for people of color. A black man can get a fair trial in Mobile."

Tyson has no announced opponents in the Democratic primary, scheduled for June. Mobile lawyer Mark Erwin , who has announced his intention to seek the Republican Party's nomination for district attorney, declined to comment on the Thomas verdict.

"I think it would be inappropriate for me to say anything because I wasn't involved in the case, and I don't know the details," Erwin said Tuesday.

But Republican Walter Honeycutt , who ran and lost to Tyson in 2004, said the high-profile case could alienate black voters in the upcoming election.

"I think (Tyson) is going to have a very tough row to hoe next year," he said.

Reggie Copeland Jr. , the chairman of the Mobile County Democratic Party, said Tyson faced criticism no matter the outcome of the Thomas case.

"He'd have been pilloried if he didn't pursue it, and he'd have been pilloried even if they got a conviction," Copeland said. "That's the nature of the job. But he's been a very good district attorney for a very long time, and I don't believe any one case is going to change that."

(Political Editor George Talbot's column runs on Wednesdays. He can be reached at 251-219-5623 or gtalbot@press-register.com.)