Florida Judge in Martin Case Steps Aside The Florida judge overseeing the murder case against George Zimmerman stepped aside on Wednesday at the request of Mr. Zimmerman's lawyer, who had questioned whether her assignment could create a potential conflict of interest. The judge, Jessica J. Recksiedler, of Seminole County Circuit Court, signed an order removing herself from the case. In a filing on Monday, Mr. Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, outlined a potential conflict because a law partner of the judge's husband is under contract to provide analysis about the case to CNN. The judge disclosed last week that Mr. Zimmerman had approached the lawyer, Mark NeJame, about taking on his case. Mr. NeJame declined and recommended Mr. O'Mara. Judge Recksiedler will be replaced by Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr., 58, who was first elected to the court in 1996. Mr. Lester graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in accounting. He received a law degree from the University of Florida. Mr. Zimmerman, 28, the neighborhood watch coordinator for his gated residential development in Sanford, Fla., was charged with second-degree murder on April 11 more than six weeks after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old who was staying with a friend of his father in the development. Mr. Zimmerman told the police that he shot Mr. Martin in self-defense. When prosecutors did not move to arrest him weeks after the shooting, local pastors held protests that spread across the country and led to a national discussion about racial profiling and the fairness of the criminal justice system. Since his arrest, Mr. Zimmerman has remained in custody at the Seminole County jail. The charges were brought against him by the special prosecutor Angela B. Corey, state attorney for the Jacksonville area, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott after the local prosecutor stepped aside amid criticism of his handling of the case. In the affidavit filed with the charges, Ms. Corey wrote that Mr. Zimmerman "falsely assumed" that Mr. Martin was a criminal because he had "profiled" him. A bail hearing has been scheduled for Mr. Zimmerman for Friday, but it was unclear what impact Judge Recksiedler's withdrawal would have on the timing of the hearing or other motions, including a petition by several news organizations that asks for the court records to be unsealed.