Gag Order Issued in 'Irvine 11' Case

The Daily Pilot reports Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter J. Wilson issued a gag order in the  misdemeanor criminal trial of 11 college students accused of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador to the United States. The gag order applies to both the prosecution and to the defense.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter J. Wilson said he did not want potential jurors to have preconceived ideas about the case involving the so-called "Irvine 11."

Judge Wilson did not want to wait until jury selection to find to what extent prospective jurors may have been tainted.

On May 3, defense attorneys filed a motion, claiming that Orange County Deputy District Attorney Dan Wagner and representatives from the Orange County district attorney's office were tainting the jury pool with public statements.

Defense attorneys also requested that the court order the D.A.'s office to remove other information relating to the case from its website, including press releases and e-mails among the defendants. The judge denied the request, saying there is no need to "go back and sanitize" what has already been released.

The defendants, affiliated with Muslim student groups at UC Irvine and UC Riverside, are accused of conspiring to interrupt and then disrupting a Febuary 8, 2010, speech by Ambassador Michael Oren at UCI. The trial begins August 15. If convicted, the defendants face up to six months in jail.

The case has resulted in an outpouring of support from free-speech advocates, including many UCI faculty members, who say the students are being unfairly prosecuted. The defendants also have their critics, including prominent Jewish leaders who say they support free speech but felt like the students' allegedly premeditated disruption crossed a line.

Among those who appeared in court to listen to court proceedings at the Santa Ana courtroom was Jim Gilchrist, the founder and president of the Minuteman Project. Gilchrist, who organization uses civilians to "guard" the Mexico-U.S. border from illegal intrusion, said he was interested in the case because it related to 1st Amendment free speech rights.

If you have been charged with violating California law and have a misdemeanor criminal trial in California, call on the lawyers with over 80 years of combined experience at Gold, Leftwich & Wagner.