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Behind the Scenes (Sort of) of Murder Trial Prep

Last time we looked in on D.A. Confidential, the blogger was fantasizing about punishing doctors for their lack of respect for the value of their patients' time. It seems that he's currently engaged in something a bit more serious. Namely, preparing to try a murder case.

Confidential reveals that the trial is slated to start in the middle of next month, and gives a generic rundown of the kinds of things he's been doing to prepare, such as double- and triple-checking his witness statements, refining his witness list, and making sure to provide the defense with all of the required notices about what the state intends to present at trial.

The descriptions of the work he's been doing are general, and I'm sure that's no accident. Confidential is likely wary of revealing too many specifics about his trial preparation, among other reasons, because the defense attorneys, if they're smart, are reading his blog. And even though Confidential doesn't identify the defendant by name, saying "murder trial" and "beginning mid-July" probably is sufficient for the defense to know what case he's talking about.

How much information it's appropriate for a blawger to reveal about the matters on which he's working, morally, ethically, and according to the dictates of common sense, is a subject of much debate, some of which is hosted by Scott Greenfield at Simple Justice. (Sorry, Scott, I tried to think of a way to get your name into the title of this post, but came up blank.) Any blawgers have thoughts on this they want to share? Any lawyers who wouldn't dream of blogging want to tell us why?

I think Confidential's post comes out well on the safe side of the line, wherever you draw it, and it's still interesting to hear how the prosecution gears up for a big case. Confidential does reveal that it's his first murder case as first-chair, so good luck! Hope all goes smoothly and that justice is served.

Posted by Eric Lipman on June 21, 2010 at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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