Karmelo Anthony's Legal Team Seeks New Judge, New Trial After Murder Conviction

Karmelo Anthony's new attorneys are making a bold first move ... asking for a new trial and trying to sideline the judge who presided over his murder case.

The defense filed two major motions Tuesday -- one seeking to remove Judge John Roach from all remaining post-trial proceedings, and another asking the court to throw out Anthony's conviction altogether. Anthony's lawyers argue the new-trial issues should be decided by a different judge and want Judge Roach to recuse himself.

In the recusal motion, Anthony's attorneys point to Roach's post-verdict interview with a local TV station and his written statement to Fox News ... arguing he publicly endorsed the guilty verdict, defended his courtroom rulings, and declared Anthony received a fair trial -- comments they say make it impossible for him to fairly rule on the defense's post-trial motions.

The separate motion for a new trial claims Anthony's constitutional rights were violated ... arguing courtroom access restrictions deprived him of a public trial and prosecutors backed away from an off-the-record agreement that ultimately led Anthony not to testify in his own defense.

As TMZ previously reported, Anthony overhauled his legal team after his murder conviction, bringing in a new group of attorneys to handle his appeal and post-trial fight. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering Austin Metcalf at a Frisco, TX high school track meet.