It’s a battle for transparency, as prosecutors want to seal records that pertain to the George Zimmerman case – but media organizations want those records public.
STORY: He Wants It All! Zimmerman Requests FBI Files From Trayvon Investigation
Zimmerman’s defense team wants Trayvon Martin’s school records public for everyone to view, hoping Trayvon’s questionable record will somehow affect the fact that the boy was killed in cold blood.
As reported by the Orlando Sentinel:
The Orlando Sentinel, The New York Times, CBSNews, NBCUniversal, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Tampa Bay Times, Associated Press, USA Today, The Miami Herald and others have joined the subpoenas to have the records public.
Attorneys will be in court in Sanford Friday, making their case to Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson.
Lead prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda has asked the judge to seal all future defense subpoenas and review them behind closed doors. He’s also asked her to do the same for whatever evidence they produce.
But media lawyers say that’s not in accord with Florida’s open records law and long history of holding court hearings in the open.
The issue at hand is whether the judge should allow defense attorneys to subpoena Trayvon Martin‘s school records.
O’Mara has sent subpoenas to the teenager’s former high schools and middle school, as well as Miami-Dade public school headquarters, asking for those records.
They’re expected to show that the 17-year-old was suspended from school at the time of his death and had been suspended earlier because of discipline problems. Police say he was serving a 10-day suspension at the time of his death because authorities found him with an empty marijuana baggie.
Friday’s hearing will also cover other matters, for example, whether the state is entitled to Zimmerman’s medical records from the day after the shooting.
Again, this is another attempt to stall the trial against George Zimmerman. What do Trayvon’s school records really have to do with the fact that he was shot dead?
SOURCE: OS
