| Media wins plea in Jeffs case | |
| The Spectrum | |
ST. GEORGE — Fifth District Judge James L. Shumate ordered that sealed records pertaining to Warren Jeffs’ competency be released to the media with portions of the records to be redacted or blackened out. The order was based on a motion by media attorney Jeff Hunt requesting full disclosure of sealed Jeffs' records. Hunt represents a media coalition that includes The Spectrum & Daily News. On the defense’s motion by Walter Bugden to exclude still photographers from the courtroom, Shumate ordered that they would be allowed to remain but that images could not be be enhanced and that photographers may not shoot pictures of any documents or data that has not been introduced into evidence. Following the hearing, Bugden said he was disappointed that the Deseret Morning News would publish on its front-page confidential communications between an attorney and his client. Bugden was referring to an enhanced picture of a document photographed at the last hearing on March 21 that wound up on the front page of that newspaper. While Shumate ruled that the document was privileged, Washington County Attorney Brock Belnap told the court that the state’s position was it should not be considered protected by the attorney-client privilege because Jeffs said he wanted to hold a press conference about the document. For more, please see tomorrow's edition of The Spectrum & Daily News. | |
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TheSpectrum.com Originally published May 25, 2007 | |
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