( CNN ) -- The federal judge presiding over the case of reputed former Boston mob boss James `` Whitey '' Bulger has been removed by the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston , after the defense raised concerns about his ability to be impartial . The judge , Richard Stearns , was as a prosecutor in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney 's Office in Boston when Bulger is alleged to have reigned over organized crime in the city , the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston noted . `` Despite our respect for Judge Stearns and our belief in his sincerity , we are nonetheless bound to conclude that it is clear that a reasonable person might question the judge 's ability to preserve impartiality through the course of this prosecution , '' the appeals court ruled . Bulger , the alleged former head of Boston 's notorious Winter Hill gang , faces 19 murder charges , as well as charges including extortion , money laundering and narcotics distribution . The defense had initially moved to dismiss the case , saying Bulger was granted immunity by federal agents working to infiltrate Irish and Italian mobs in Boston three decades ago . But Stearns ruled this month that Bulger did not have immunity to commit murder or other crimes after his purported deal with the FBI . A new judge will be assigned to the case , the appeals court ruling said . Bulger made headlines when he was arrested in June 2011 in Santa Monica , California , after being on the run for 16 years . Before his sudden departure from Boston , he cooperated as an informant with disgraced ex-FBI agent John Connolly Jr. , who is serving a 50-year sentence for second-degree murder and racketeering . According to an indictment against Connolly filed in 2000 , Bulger became his confidential informant in the fall of 1975 . CNN 's Jason Kessler and Melissa Gray contributed to this report .
Appeals court : Judge 's impartiality might be in question because of his past jobs . Judge was a U.S. prosecutor in Boston when the defendant allegedly was involved in crime . Comment: