SPJ and others call for public access to Libby trial
This is a post from new LDF subcommittee member Julie Kay of south Florida:
The Society of Professional Journalists has joined the Associated Press, The Washington Post, Cable News Network and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in calling for public access to jury selection proceedings in the upcoming I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby trial.
The media coalition Thursday filed a memorandum in support of access to jury selection and audio recordings of the trial proceedings, in response to a request by the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. for comment on the issue.
The organizations argued in the memo that jury selection should be open and private questioning of jurors should be the “rare exception.”
“The right of the people to know how the government is exercising power in their name is critical to the functioning of our democracy,” stated the memo.
The groups also stated that the court should make available daily audio recordings of the trial, as other federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have done in recent years.
“There is overwhelming public interest in the trial, and the events that transpire in the courtroom should be made available to the public to the greatest extent possible,” stated the memo, which was drafted by Washington D.C. lawyers David A. Schulz, Nathan Siegel and Thomas Curley.
Libby, a former top Cheney aide, was indicted in 2005 on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the CIA leak investigation. Jury selection is set to begin Jan. 16.