Casey Anthony’s defense attorneys are again objecting to the release of information by certain state agencies, stating in a new motion that their client’s 6th Amendment right to a fair trial should supersede any First Amendment right of a free press with access to information.
In a motion filed on Tuesday in the Orange County Court, attorneys Jose Baez and Cheney Mason indicate that, the “First Amendment rights of the media must give way to the constitutionally protected rights of the accused, especially when the State seeks the ultimate penalty of Death.”
Baez and Mason state that they have made repeated and continuous objections to the release of information by Law Enforcement, Corrections and State Attorneys and to how Chapter 119.01 of the Florida Statute is being applied, in relation their client.
They note that the media, on July 13, 2010 reported Casey ordered “Crackers and Cocoa” and charge that, “this ridiculous coverage has become common in this case.”
The defense attorneys would like the court to either reverse prior rulings as they relate to public disclosure or to stop the respective agencies from releasing new information.
Baez and Mason believe that, the only purpose of this type of news coverage is to embarrass, harass and humiliate the accused and to taint the potential jury pool.
It is not yet clear when and how Chief Judge Belvin Perry will rule on this motion.
Casey Anthony is charged with first degree murder in the death of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee. She has maintained her innocence and has said that her daughter was was kidnapped by a baby sitter. The child’s remains were found in a wooded area near the Anthony family home, in December 2008.
Anthony is in the Orange County Jail awaiting trial which is expected to commence on May 9, 2011.
