By Allan Lengel
For Deadline Detroit
DETROIT — U.S. District Court Judge Nancy G. Edmunds, who is overseeing the corruption trial of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in downtown Detroit has a reputation for being a first-rate judge.
But Edmunds is attracting attention because she appears to be unusually concerned with what the media can report during jury selection in the Kilpatrick case. Her actions have prompted Herschel Fink, a noted First Amendment attorney, to write her a letter on behalf of the Free Press that raises concerns about possible violations of the First Amendment.
In what is an extraordinary case, Edmunds issued an extraordinary court order before jury selection. It’s one I had not seen before in federal court.
The order goes like this:
“The media is not permitted to blog about jury selection or otherwise provide any detail that may enable a prospective juror to be identified.”
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