LOS ANGELES - Judge Lance Ito ruled Monday the nation can watch O.J. Simpson's murder trial on TV, but said he still intends to try to insulate jurors from the media.
With his decision to allow TV coverage of the trial, Ito acknowledged that leaks - particularly a false KNBC-TV report linking Nicole Simpson's blood to socks found in the defendant's bedroom - were unrelated to courtroom cameras.
"What caused the court its initial concern is what's happening outside this courtroom, over which the court has no control," Ito said.
That point was central to the pleas of leading First Amendment lawyers, including Floyd Abrams for Court TV. His argument included a variation of Simpson's innocent plea:
"I speak for the camera itself and the camera pleads absolutely, 100% not guilty."
Lawyer Kelli Sager, representing more than 12 news organizations, said a camera was the best guarantee trial coverage would be fair.
Royal Oakes, a lawyer representing the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California, agreed: "That pool camera does not exaggerate, it does not leak, it does not editorialize."
Ito's only restriction on still and video cameras: They must be operated by remote control during witness testimony.
But Ito indicated he may ban TV at some pretrial hearings and said locking up the jury "is a very real prospect" because of massive publicity.
The defense argued for a pretrial blackout. "Our concern is that these pretrial motions should not be televised because it will taint these very people that we spent five or six weeks trying to find," defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran Jr. said of the jury.
Ito also reminded the media he expects responsible conduct, pointing out that leaks had dropped dramatically since he threatened to toss out the camera. Ito could reconsider the issue at any time.
In another development, Los Angeles police flew to Kansas City, Mo., to question football star Marcus Allen, a long-time Simpson friend. Police would not comment on the nature of the questioning.
Author Faye Resnick linked Nicole Simpson romantically to Allen, but Allen has denied involvement. The defense expects Allen to testify for Simpson, though his role is unclear.
