Judge: No gag order in Iraq slaying case

Judge: No gag order in Iraq slaying case By BRETT BARROUQUERE, Associated Press Writer 21 minutes agoLOUISVILLE, Ky. - A federal judge rejected a gag order that could have kept lawyers and even President Bush from publicly discussing the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the slaying of her relatives. U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell said there is "no reason to believe" that a former soldier's right to a fair trial would be jeopardy.In a ruling Thursday, Russell also ordered former Pvt. Steven D. Green, 21, to be arraigned Nov. 8 in federal court in Louisville.Investigators say Green and four other soldiers from the Fort Campbell-based 101st Airborne Division plotted to rape the girl in the village of Mahmoudiya. Green is accused of being the triggerman in the shooting of three family members in a room of the girl's house before she was raped and killed.Defense lawyers had asked the judge to silence a variety of people, from the attorneys in the case to Bush.(snip/...)

Link Here