Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> Legal Blog Watch

Legal News

: Legal Blog Watch

Legal Blago Watch: Judge Clamps Down Early on Tweets, Arm Waving, Facial Gestures and More

By Bruce Carton

The trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is just two days old and already it's looking like one to keep a close eye on. First, Judge James Zagel ordered Blagojevich not to tweet post to Twitter yesterday as his corruption trial got underway. USA Today reports that this Twitter ban appears to have been "a pre-emptive strike" as there was no indication Blagojevich had been tweeting posting to Twitter from the courtroom. I guess you can never be too careful in these cases, huh? Today, after Blago's defense counsel delivered an impassioned "stem winder" of an opening statement (so impassioned, writes the Blagojevich on Trial blog, that the judge warned Blago's lawyer that he would "admonish him in front of the jury if he yelled at a witness in the same manner as the trial progressed") that labeled Blago as "naïve, shallow and incredibly insecure," the judge laid down some more rules for Blago. After prosecutors complained that Blagojevich had made gestures and comments in response to testimony by his former chief of staff, Judge Zabel directed Blago to refrain from "all arm waving, facial gestures and side comments." Stay tuned for more Legal Blago Watch as events warrant.

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on June 10, 2010 (boomark / email).