Judge rules against mentioning marijuana use and sequestering jury pool for Zimmerman trial

[Playinghardball]

George Zimmerman is appearing Tuesday in what likely will be his final hearing before his trial for second-degree murder begins June 10. He was indicted last spring in the slaying of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in the central Florida city of Sanford. Because he was not immediately arrested, the case generated a public outcry, including accusations of racism, a governor-ordered investigation by a special prosecutor, large protests around the nation and the exit of Sanford's police chief. Zimmerman claims he shot Martin in self-defense.
Among other things on a long list of items heard in a two-hour session in court Tuesday morning, Zimmerman and his lawyers sought to delay the trial and to block testimony of a state audio analyst. Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson refused to grant the delay. Several other matters didn't go Zimmerman's way either:

The judge already has ruled this morning on several key issues: The defense may not bring up Trayvon Martin's past marijuana use at trial, or his school suspensions or alleged participation in fights, without clearing several legal hurdles and another ruling granting permission.

The attorneys also cannot mention during their opening arguments that the active ingredient of marijuana was found in the teen's system, ruled the judge, who also denied the state's motion for a gag order in the case.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/28/1212138/-Judge-rules-against-mentioning-marijuana-use-and-sequestering-jury-pool-for-June-10-Zimmerman-trial

[Eleanors38]

1. These rulings sound reasonable.

[pokerfan]

2. It won't matter

The defense will continue to leak inadmissible evidence to the media as the request for a gag order was denied. Again.

They waited to publicize the irrelevant and inadmissible information until after the 500 people in the jury pool were notified by summons to report to court for jury selection on June 10th, thereby increasing the likelihood that most of the prospective jurors will have heard or read about it before June 10th.

http://frederickleatherman.com/2013/05/26/defense-team-is-out-of-control/

[grok]

3. i wonder if if this plays into the defense's hands

obviously they can't bring TM' "character" into this unless the prosecution brings it up themselves by saying any more than tm is 16 year old shot by GZ. so does that mean the prosecution can't try to "humanize" and make a "sympathetic" victim of GZ? a faceless victim..

Much of the evidence in this case is mere opinion on both sides. This might make a huge difference. there is really only one person alive that knows EXACTLY what happened.