The Denver Post
Judge limits cameras at Bryant trial
Wednesday, August 25, 2004 -
Television cameras will be allowed only during closing arguments of Kobe Bryant's sexual- assault trial, the judge ruled Tuesday, rejecting a request from the media to broadcast the entire proceeding.
Any other broadcast would inhibit witnesses and infringe on the basketball star's rights to a fair trial, District Judge Terry Ruckriegle wrote in his ruling. "The potential for witness intimidation, apprehension and reluctance is significant if this matter were to be broadcast to an international audience." The judge will allow still photography during the opening and closing arguments. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Friday, with opening arguments tentatively planned for about Sept. 7. Bryant, 26, is accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel clerk in his room at The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in June 2003. The all-star guard for the Los Angeles Lakers said the liaison was consensual. The ruling marks yet another defeat for the media, which had argued that cameras would allow citizens to see how the judicial process is working. Previously, the media have been shut out of several hearings, prohibited from recording and broadcasting others, and precluded from seeing innumerable court documents filed under seal. Steve Zansberg, an attorney for the media consortium, including The Denver Post, had contended that the Colorado Supreme Court encourages so-called expanded media coverage "because of the importance of open courts and the educational benefits of allowing the public to see judicial proceedings." "The public will now need to rely upon the press as its eyes and ears in reporting accurately what transpires in the courtroom," he said Tuesday. Ruckriegle had the support of the prosecution, the defense and the accuser in denying cameras in the courtroom for the full trial. The judge noted that pervasive media coverage could affect witnesses, prompting some to be frightened and others to overstatement. He also pointed out that several participants have received death threats. The courtroom in the Eagle County Courthouse has only 22 seats available to the media and a like number set aside for the public. Rohn Robbins, an Eagle County trial lawyer who handles media issues, said Ruckriegle faces no detrimental repercussions from his decision, which cannot be appealed. "You can certainly say fair- trial rights were abridged by this alleged intrusive media," Robbins said. "But you can't say the inverse, ... that they got too fair of a trial or that it would have been more fair with the inclusion of the media." |