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: Lawbeat

Gag order persists despite guilty plea

By Mark Obbie

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Speaking of judges who forget they're public servants, the visiting judge hearing the unprecedented criminal prosecution of U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent persists in limiting legitimate public scrutiny of the case -- and continues to catch subtle hell from the Houston Chronicle's Mary Flood. Last September, I blogged about Flood's ability to cast a skeptical eye on the gag order imposed in the case, from within the confines of a straight-news story. She was right to wonder why visiting judge Roger Vinson felt a gag order necessary despite fairly subdued pre-trial publicity. Now that Kent has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice -- for lying about the circumstances in which he sexually forced himself on subordinates -- the gag order is even more absurd, as Flood was unafraid to point out when noting that the women who would have testified against Kent couldn't say much today:

Gag orders are designed to protect the rights of defendants from public prejudice before trial. Kent has waived his right to appeal and it is unclear why Vinson would issue a gag order.

Unclear is one word for it. Outrageous is another. This case is the public's business, and reporters should be able to get answers about what happened and why.

Full post as published by Lawbeat on February 23, 2009 (boomark / email).