Media to be allowed back inside Jodi Arias courtroom

PHOENIX — The media will be allowed back in the Jodi Arias penalty phase retrial courtroom after an appeals judge issued a stay Monday of an order banning them during a witness testimony.

On Thursday afternoon, Judge Sherry Stephens kicked everyone out and sealed the courtroom for a “mystery witness” who wanted to be out of the public eye to avoid harassment. Speculation ran rampant as to who this mystery witness was. As of Monday, the identity of that witness is still unknown, though there was speculation it was Arias herself.

Various media outlets were outraged. Several filed a case to halt proceedings so the Arizona Court of Appeals could rule on Stephens’ edict. The hope was to force her to open the courtroom to see this witness. Attorneys argued closing the courtroom and refusing to release the name of the witness violates the public’s rights and the United States Constitution.

Arias’ attorneys have said interrupting the testimony could cause a mistrial by
prolonging the case to where jurors might no longer be available after the
trial’s projected mid-December conclusion.

Arias’ attorneys lost out Monday, when an Arizona appeals judged issued a stay, effectively letting the media back in to the courtroom.

The Stay was granted! Court of Appeals agreed with the media! @michaelbkiefer

— Monica Lindstrom (@monicalindstrom) November 3, 2014

After the stay was issued, the jury was excused until 10 a.m. Wednesday so attorneys from both sides could meet to discuss the stay. Stephens said the attorneys had a disagreement over the meaning of the stay.

However, media may not be allowed to cover the trial as freely as before. Originally, members of the media were allowed to attend and live-tweet the proceedings from the courtroom.

Crt App says JSS can impose lesser restrictions than locking us out, ie. cameras off, media in overflow room etc. #JodiArias @michaelbkiefer

— Monica Lindstrom (@monicalindstrom) November 3, 2014

KTAR Legal Analyst Monica Lindstrom and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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