Baghdad, Iraq ? Saddam Hussein’s trial on murder charges will resume today with a new presiding judge whose arrival, lawyers say, could dramatically change the tempo of the lagging proceedings.

Judge Raouf Rasheed Abdel-Rahman will replace Rizgar Mohammed Amin, who submitted his resignation letter earlier this month. Critics blamed Amin for the trial’s sluggishness, saying he’d ceded control of the courtroom to Saddam, who often interrupted the proceedings with bombastic attacks and claims.

It was unclear why Abdel-Rahman, who hasn’t sat in on any of the previous sessions of the trial, was selected for his post. There are five judges sitting as a panel for the trial. Some reports said that none of the five was willing to serve as the presiding judge.

Judge Raad Juhi, the head of the Iraqi Special Tribunal, which oversees Saddam’s prosecution, said only that Abdel-Rahman was chosen because he’s an experienced lawman.

It also was unclear how long Abdel-Rahman would serve as presiding judge. Juhi said he would be in that position only until Amin’s status is resolved. But in an interview Monday with Reuters, Amin said his resignation was final. Both Amin and Abdel-Rahman are ethnic Kurds, a key fact in this ethnically divided country.

Saddam, a Sunni Muslim, and his seven co-defendants are accused of killing nearly 150 people after the 1982 attempted assassination of the former dictator in Dujail, a predominantly Shiite Muslim city.

If convicted, the defendants could be sentenced to death.

Since the proceedings began Oct. 19, the trial has largely been a battle between Amin and the attention-grabbing Saddam for control of the courtroom.

The former dictator has stopped the proceedings with long diatribes, tantrums and shouting matches with Amin.

Once, Saddam refused to come to court, and another time he told the judge to go to hell.