Legal Research

Media Seek Access To Court Records in R. Kelly Porn Case

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: Crime and Justice News, April 30, 2008.

"Chicago-area media outlets have gone to the Illinois Supreme Court to gain greater access to the pretrial proceedings in the R. Kelly child pornography case, reports the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago. The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Associated Press asked the Supreme Court to exercise its supervisory authority after presiding Judge Vincent Gaughan denied their emergency request to release transcripts of several recent closed hearings involving the judge, prosecutors, and Kelly's attorneys. The trial is scheduled to begin May 8."

"Gaughan agreed to unseal the documents after the trial, but he has said releasing them too soon could deny Kelly the right to a fair trial. This week's motion asks the Supreme Court to intervene and grant immediate access to the sealed filings, transcripts, and hearings in the long-running case. It also requests that the sweeping gag-order preventing attorneys from speaking to the media be lifted. 'Proceedings in the Kelly case have not only been sealed but sealed without any judicial findings with respect to the reasons for secrecy,' the motion said. Gaughan noted that there have been 330 media inquiries to gain access to the trial."

Daily Herald (Arlington Heights IL)

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on April 30, 2008 (boomark / email).