In court photo dispute Los Angeles Times alleges illegal prior restraint

In a brief filed in court this week, the Los Angeles Times argued that their photographer acted with the court’s permission in taking photos of a defendant charged with murder, and that any attempts to prevent publication of the photos constituted prior restraint. -db
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
August 19, 2010
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A Los Angeles [...]

California appeals court allows publication of courtroom photos

The California Court of Appeal ordered a Superior Court judge to reverse her ban barring the Los Angeles Times from publishing the courtroom photos of a murder suspect. -db
Los Angeles Times
August 9, 2010
By Andrew Blankstein
The California Court of Appeal ordered a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Monday to abandon her order barring the Los [...]

Free press: Judge bans Los Angeles Times photographer from publishing courtroom photos

A judge approved a written request to photograph a murder suspect but when reminded in court about a prior order banning photography ordered the photographer not to publish his photos. -db
Los Angeles Times
August 5, 2010
By Andrew Blankstein
A judge issued an unusual order Wednesday in which she told a newspaper photographer not to publish pictures [...]

First Amendment: Enron’s Skilling wins partial victory, loses on pre-trial publicity

While opening the door to a new trial for former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, in a 6-3 vote the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Skilling’s argument that pre-trial publicity made a free trial impossible. -db
The New York Times
June 24, 2010
By Adam Liptak
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ruling for two prominent corporate executives in prison for fraud, the [...]

Attorney for army major who allegedly killed 13 starts blog on the case

After a military judge issued a gag order in the trial of a man accused of killed 13 people at Fort Hood last year, the civilian lawyer for the man started a blog to make his case for the suspect. -db

CNN
March 2 2010
By Larry Shaughnessy
Washington (CNN) — In response to a partial gag order, the attorney [...]

Judges to jurors: No Twittering

Jurors can expect to be reminded of the limits of their free speech rights as a federal court body has released revised model jury instructions specifically forbidding jurors from using technology and the social media to communicate about cases in progress. -db
Wired
February 8, 2010
By David Kravets

A federal court policy-making body is belatedly entering the internet age [...]

Prop. 8 proponents object to TV for hearing in federal court

Sponsors of Prop. 8 the ballot measure that banned same-sex in California say that television coverage of the court trial in San Francisco in January would result in harassment and intimidation of witnesses and other participants. -DB

San Francisco Chronicle
December 30, 2009
By Bob Egelko

SAN FRANCISCO — Sponsors of California’s ban on same-sex marriage, which faces a federal [...]

Supreme Court chooses Enron case to review impact of publicity on fairness in criminal trials

The Supreme Court granted review of the case of former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling convicted in a high profile trial for his role in Enron’s collapse. Skilling claimed that the publicity surrounding the trial created prejudice in the jury and that the federal law criminalizing “honest services” fraud was ”unconstitutionally vague.” -DB
First Amendment Center
Analysis
October 14, 2009
By Tony [...]

Federal judge closes hearings to public in trial of Blackwater security guards charged with manslaughter in Iraq

A U.S. district judge closed the Blackwater manslaughter pretrial hearings to the public, he said, to enable a fair trial by shielding witnesses and potential jurors from a flurry of media reports. -DB

The Washington Post
October 15, 2009
By Del Quentin Wilber
A federal judge blocked the public Wednesday from attending a critical set of pretrial hearings in [...]

No gag order in Chauncey Bailey murder trial

 In the Chauncey Bailey murder, Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson released 800 pages of grand jury testimony and refused defense pleas to impose a gag order on lawyers. -DB
The Oakland Tribune 
July 31, 2009 
By Thomas Peele
OAKLAND — A judge on Thursday afternoon refused to impose a gag order on lawyers and others involved in the Chauncey Bailey [...]