Gag Order

While the press has been having a good time with the recent ''gag'' order imposed by Gov. William Donald Schaefer, I feel compelled to raise what I consider to be some interesting points.First, I haven't noticed a dearth of state news from the headlines and airwaves of local newspapers, radios and television stations since the gag order supposedly took effect.People are still learning about the state's fiscal crisis, the governor's travels to the Democratic National Convention, and other assorted bits of state news.

Lawyers for the man convicted of killing Phylicia Barnes are again seeking to undermine the credibility of a small-time criminal who provided key state testimony in his trial, citing a letter from Montgomery County prosecutors detailing James McCray's removal as a witness in a separate murder case. The information, sent to Baltimore prosecutors on the day after Michael Maurice Johnson was found guilty of killing the visiting North Carolina teen, contains statements that the defense says shows McCray — whom they described at trial as a "jailhouse snitch" — is not reliable.

The lawyer for a teacher indicted for allegedly mistreating a Glen Burnie special education student has asked an Anne Arundel Circuit Court judge to seal the court records and prohibit lawyers or witnesses in the case from discussing it.Roland Walker, the lawyer for Susan Hope Pagano, said yesterday the gag order he requested Friday may be necessary to prevent pretrial publicity that would make a fair trial impossible.Circuit Judge Robert H. Heller Jr. has scheduled a hearing for Thursday afternoon to consider the request.

In a frantic search for his own missing teenage daughter, the lead detective in the Phylicia Barnes murder case donned a black hooded sweatshirt and, along with two other men, forced his way into a Northeast Baltimore apartment where he believed she was hiding, attorneys said in court Thursday. Once inside, the men held down the occupants of the apartment so they could search for the girl and snatched a phone so the occupants could not call 911, attorneys said. Details of the accusations against Detective Daniel T. Nicholson IV emerged for the first time as defense attorneys and prosecutors sparred over whether the incident can be raised during the murder trial of Michael Maurice Johnson, who is accused of killing Barnes.

Thank goodness for William Donald Schaefer! What would this newspaper do without him?Let's face it. Politicians can be downright dull fellows. Government itself is pretty boring most of the time. Trying to fill a newspaper with stories on dull pols and boring government is agonizingly difficult, especially in the slow summer months when all most people think about is the upcoming vacation.But not with Don Schaefer around.Here's a guy who knows how to get his name in the newspaper. He understands that journalists need a governor who creates good copy.

A Howard County Circuit Court judge issued a gag order yesterday forbidding attorneys and parties to the murder case involving Eric Joseph Tirado from commenting publicly about it. Judge Raymond J. Kane Jr. signed the gag order in the second week of the trial of the 27-year-old Bronx, N.Y., man.Defense attorney Mark Van Bavel had requested the judge issue a gag order earlier, but he granted various television and newspaper interviews until the order was...

Assistant Baltimore State's Attorney Roger L. Harris withdrew yesterday his request for a gag order that would have prohibited lawyer Warren A. Brown from talking publicly about the case of Perry Spain, who awaits trial in the city Circuit Court in a June shooting that left a 10-year-old neighborhood bystander wounded. Harris said Brown was endangering a witness in the case by talking about him to the news media. The lawyers agreed yesterday not to talk to reporters about the witnesses or evidence in the case.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The judge in the William Kennedy Smith rape case announced a gag order yesterday on virtually anyone connected with the case, saying she had a "constitutional duty to minimize the effect of prejudicial pretrial publicity on both sides."The order, to be signed by Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Mary Lupo early next week, would bar all participants in the case -- including all potential witnesses -- from discussing trial issues outside court."I find that the media coverage has been incessant and very closely parallels the coverage extended in the [Dr. Samuel H.]

WASHINGTON -- After Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, senior aides to President Bush and Secretary of State James A. Baker III imposed a "gag order" to restrain the release of information about earlier U.S. aid to Iraq, according to testimony and documents made public yesterday.According to this information, the aides also closely monitored the administration's response to congressional inquiries at a time when records were altered that concealed information from Congress.Worried that details of their efforts to aid Saddam Hussein in the years before Iraq invaded Kuwait would embarrass the administration, White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray, Baker confidant Robert Kimmitt (now ambassador to Germany)

It could have been one of those moments that make press secretaries salivate.Imagine Gov. William Donald Schaefer conducting a news conference in the State House and being interrupted by a call from President Bush.Imagine the elated governor getting off the phone to announce that Maryland was receiving the second federal waiver ever granted to reform its welfare program. Imagine TV cameras recording it all, reporters scribbling every word.If only that plan had worked July 1, legislators and reporters might not be suffering under a gubernatorial gag order today.

If Baltimore prosecutors want to show jurors a video of teenage murder victim Phylicia Barnes and the man accused of killing her engaged in "sexual relations," they must do so in open court, a city judge has ruled. The ruling, which denied a prosecution motion to close the court during the playing of the tape, came last week after one of three unlisted hearings, but appears in documents available at Baltimore Circuit Court. A public schedule had said a hearing would be held Tuesday.

Fine way out of line Shandel Richardson Sun Sentinel Someone please tell me Heat owner Micky Arison threw a punch during a game or at least used a slur toward an NBA referee. Five hundred thousand dollars? For words that likely offended no one? At least Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was punished for being a repeat offender when he ripped the officiating in 2002, drawing the same fine. Arison's comments, made on Twitter, simply were a response to an angry fan referring to owners as "greedy" and "pigs.

Baltimore prosecutors are holding a series of meetings to determine whether to retry the animal cruelty case against twin brothers Travers and Tremayne Johnson, which ended in mistrial Monday, and expect to announce a decision soon, Deputy State's Attorney Elizabeth Embry said Wednesday. If the case is retried, it won't be immediate, however. The assistant state's attorneys who prosecuted the Johnsons — Jennifer Rallo and Janet Hankin — "clearly need a breather," Embry told members of the Mayor's anti-animal abuse commission and task force at their monthly gathering Wednesday.

Baltimore officials hit back Thursday at claims that they pushed for secrecy in a six-figure settlement involving a man mistakenly arrested by city police, providing a document that they say shows the man's lawyer pushed for confidentiality. But the lawyer responded by releasing other documents that he says prove the city initiated the discussion over privacy, and that his counterproposals were made to protect his client. In the end, each side stood firm in its contention that the other was not being truthful, but both agreed that the episode had become "regrettable.

Attorneys for The Baltimore Sun, WBAL-TV and WJZ-TV filed their opposition yesterday to a gag order that would limit public comment on the cases against two men accused of killing former City Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr. A hearing on the gag order could occur as early as 11 a.m. today in Baltimore District Court, but is likely to be postponed. Attorneys for Gary Collins and Charles Y. McGaney, who are accused of fatally shooting Harris outside a Northeast Baltimore jazz club during a robbery, requested the order, saying it was necessary to ensure a fair and impartial jury.

Baltimore lawyers representing two men charged in the murder of former City Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr. have asked a judge to prohibit people involved in the case from talking about it publicly. But their written request didn't keep defense attorney Jan Bledsoe from telling reporters after a hearing that her client, Gary Collins, 20, was innocent. It seems the lawyers want to have it their way and then some. Attorneys for Mr. Collins and Charles Y. McGaney, 19, are seeking the gag order because they fear their clients won't get a fair trial.

An Army judge yesterday rejected requests for a gag order on senior military officials in the criminal cases of two men charged with sexual misconduct at Aberdeen Proving Ground.Lawyers for Staff Sgt. Delmar G. Simpson and Staff Sgt. Nathanael C. Beach argued that comments made by high-ranking officials might influence potential jurors and jeopardize their clients' right to a fair trial. They pointed to statements by officials, including Secretary of the Army Togo West, about thoroughly investigating allegations and prosecuting the cases to the fullest extent of the law.But the judge, Col. Paul L. Johnston, said such a ruling would be a "drastic remedy that would unduly infringe on the constitutional rights" of senior officials.

A man charged with killing five mostly elderly people since 1999 was ordered held without bail yesterday while, hours later, a Baltimore Circuit Court judge issued a ruling prohibiting prosecutors from making public comments in the high-profile case. Richard Woods, the public defender for Raymont Hopewell, said a gag order was necessary to preserve his client's right to an impartial city jury. The case has generated intense media attention because of the age of the victims and the nature of the crimes.

Attorneys representing two men accused of killing former City Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr. are seeking a gag order in the case, arguing that publicity would make it difficult for their clients to get a fair trial. At a hearing yesterday, Charles Y. McGaney, 19, and Gary Collins, 20, were ordered held without bail by District Judge Devy Patterson Russell. Police say the men fatally shot Harris outside a Northeast Baltimore jazz club in a robbery and have been linked to the crime through DNA and witnesses.

Lest there be any question about why it's so difficult to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, consider the sordid saga of the Four Seasons development slated for the fragile shores of Kent Island. Controversial from the start, the project found favor with pro-growth Queen Anne's County commissioners who were ousted in 2002 by outraged voters but signed the deal just before leaving office. Their replacements tried to void the approval but were sued by the developer, lost in court and agreed to drop their opposition to avoid a threatened $3 million in legal penalties.