OXFORD – One of Zach Scruggs' former attorneys is back on the team.

Former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore informed the U.S. District Court today that he and co-counsel David Lee Martin of Jackson will be part of the push to help Scruggs of Oxford convince the court to throw out their client's 2008 conviction and prison sentence.

Scruggs, 36, pleaded guilty to one count that he knew about an illegal conversation between a colleague and the presiding judge in a legal-fees lawsuit against him, his father Richard "Dickie" Scruggs and others.

Zach Scruggs says new evidence and a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision put his case into a new light and prove his innocence.

His motion to vacate, filed last fall, asks the court to allow him to prove it.

Senior Judge Neal Biggers set a hearing on the motion for May 23 in Oxford.

Moore joined Scruggs' original defense team shortly before his sentencing.

The charismatic Moore got into a bit of trouble with Biggers at that hearing, when Moore insisted on telling Biggers that Scruggs did not know about other issues in the case, which could have an effect on what his sentence would be.

Earlier this week, Jackson attorney Bill Reed withdrew from the team after only a few weeks association with the case.

• Read Friday's Daily Journal for more.