(Chicago Tribune) Over objections by the Chicago Tribune, a federal judge on Thursday ordered her courtroom cleared of spectators and the media for the testimony of an undercover operative in the trial of two north suburban men accused of lending material support to the Islamic State terrorist group.
The Tribune had submitted a letter to U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood earlier this week asking that she reconsider her order in the ongoing trial of Edward Schimenti and Joseph Jones, arguing that less drastic measures could be taken to hide sensitive witnesses’ identities short of closing the courtroom to the public.
In her order, which was handed down after the trial started last week, Wood said a live feed of the testimony would be available to spectators in an overflow courtroom but would not depict any images of the witnesses.
