Jodi Arias Retrial News: Court Of Appeals' Ruling Overrides Judge Sherry Stephens Motion To Keep Press & Public Out Of Courtroom [VIDEO]
The Jodi Arias retrial began on Oct. 20 and on Oct. 30 Judge Sherry Stephens ruled that the press and public were barred from observing the first witness called by Arias, but that ruling has since been overturned.
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On Wednesday AZ Central reported that Judge Stephens' Oct. 30 ruling to keep the press and public out of the courtroom during the first witness' testimony called by Arias has been overturned by the Court of Appeals.
In October, Stephens' ruling to keep the press and public out caused The Arizona Republic and three Phoenix TV stations - KPNX, KPHO and KTVK - to protest the closure of the courtroom, arguing the First Amendment allows reporters to attend the trial as reported by Fox News.
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Stephens made the decision to close the courtroom to the press and public since the witness would not testify unless the hearing was closed to the public.
Fox News further reported that the appeals court didn't offer an explanation in its ruling Wednesday at how it arrived at that decision. A more detailed ruling is expected in the future though. It did suggest that Arias could have been the witness who testified in private since the appeals court said Judge Stephens said the courtroom would remain closed to the public during "any testimony by Jodi Arias."
David Bodney, an attorney representing the news organizations, said of the ruling, "It underscores the importance of the public's right to attend criminal trials, particularly the testimony of a defendant in the sentencing phase of a capital trial."
Judge Stephens has kept the retrial fairly calm unlike the original trial, which was deemed a media circus by many. AZ Central reported the media is heavily subdued this time around since Judge Stephens "banned live-stream broadcasting, forbade video to be aired before the trial's end and limited cameras to one photographer" mostly at the request of Arias' defense team.
Outside of the courtroom, Arias' parents have taken to YouTube to thank those who have donated to fund their daughter's legal team and have asked for further donations. The video can be seen below.
