A judge in Jena, La. has recused himself from hearing a request for news media to be allowed in the court of the juvenile case against a black teen charged with beating a white teen at school.
Judge J.P. Mauffray has left the decision of whether cameras and reporters should be allowed in the court room during 17-year-old Mychal Bell's trial to another judge.
Another judge has not been announced to hear the petition filed by the Associated Press and more than two dozen other media outlets.
The news associations are asking to be allowed to hearings in the Bell case and view transcripts from previous hearings and other court documents, and to lift the gag order against participants in the case.
Mauffray recused himself because he has been named as a defendant in the news media litigation. Mauffray is the only judge assigned to the LaSalle Parish where Bell's case is being heard.
While criminal cases against juveniles are typical closed from the public, the charge of aggravated second-degree battery allows a juvenile case to be open to the public.
Bell was previously convicted however his conviction was overturned due to his age. Five others were charged in the beating of the Louisiana teenager.
Bell is set to go to trial on Dec. 6.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Yup, exposing Mychal Bell’s criminal record will surely prove that Reed Walters (a Democrat, btw) acted in a racially biased manner when he let Bell walk away from four previous felonies with only simple probation. What’s funny is if Bell had simply taken the original plea bargain in the Barker beating, he would have gone into the adult first-offender program, received another simple probation, and had his record cleared once probation was over. He could be playing college ball right now.
Instead, he is still in jail with his entire criminal record laid bare for the public. All the supporters of the Jena 6 have achieved is sentencing Mychal Bell to a lifetime of bagging groceries.
Congratulations, people, for a job well done!
Post a Comment