MEDIA LOSE CASE TO SEE MORE IN MCVEIGH TRIAL.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. The judge in the Oklahoma City bombing See Terrorism "The Oklahoma City Bombing" (Sidebar); Venue "Venue and the Oklahoma City Bombing Case" (Sidebar). case refused Saturday to unseal information about jurors or tear down a custom-built wall that partially obscures them from courtroom spectators, but he delayed ruling on challenges to a strict gag order A court order to gag or bind an unruly defendant or remove her or him from the courtroom in order to prevent further interruptions in a trial. In a trial with a great deal of notoriety, a court order directed to attorneys and witnesses not to discuss the case with the media—such on lawyers. The motions were presented by media attorney Kelli Sager, representing more than 70 news organizations covering the trial of Timothy McVeigh Timothy James McVeigh (aka Oklahoma City bomber April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001), was a former American soldier who was convicted of eleven federal offenses and ultimately executed as a result of his role on the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing. . U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch said the wall would stay up and transcripts of closed-door arguments to dismiss jurors for legal cause, along with information that could allow jurors to be identified by their numbers. ``People who come in to serve on a jury do not consent to a strip-search of their psyche,'' Matsch said at a hearing. ``And the press doesn't have any warrant for it.'' Matsch said he had the wall built to keep jurors from being distracted or intimidated by a closed-circuit television camera CCTV cameras can produce images or recordings for surveillance purposes, and can be either video cameras, or digital stills cameras. Video Cameras Video cameras are either analogue or digital, which means that they work on the basis of sending analogue or digital signals that lets victims and survivors of the bombing watch the trial in Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a wholesale, distribution, industrial, and financial center, and a farm . He also said he is concerned about the jury's safety. ``I know this because of some communications sent to me. It's fair to characterize them as something considerably different from messages of friendly persuasion,'' he said, adding there was no reason to connect them with McVeigh or any of his associates. The lengthiest argument of the hearing was over the gag order that prevents lawyers from talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to reporters about the case. News organizations and Stephen Jones, the lead attorney for McVeigh, argued for a looser order that would allow lawyers to discuss parts of the case outside court. Although Matsch expressed reservations about lifting the gag order, he seemed willing to consider a modified version. ``The court of public opinion is closed, and the real court is open,'' Matsch said. When Sager argued the media's case, Matsch thundered down at her, saying that lawyers in other cases had become ``spin artists'' and that he has a right to control what the public thinks of the case. ``What we ought to be trying to do is try to get people to be trusting (of the legal system), rather than cynical,'' Matsch said heatedly. |
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