Miriam seeks limits on judicial gag orders vs media 09/11/2010

Miriam seeks limits on judicial gag orders vs media
09/11/2010
Sen. Miriam Santiago yesterday appealed to the judiciary to limit the issuance of gag orders prohibiting the media from reporting or publishing information on cases of “widespread concern to the community.”

Santiago, a former judge of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, said that the trial court hearing the Maguindanao murder case should keep its proceedings open to media coverage and refrain from bringing up the sub judice rule.

“It is important that the court refrain from invoking the sub judice rule so that the media coverage of the Maguindanao case would remain unhampered. Let every Filipino know how the wheels of justice churn for this monumental case,” Santiago said.

The sub judice rule is often invoked by the courts to prohibit the media from reporting, commenting on, or publishing events surrounding a trial. The rationale behind the rule is to prevent the media report or commentary from interfering with the fair and impartial resolution of the case.

“The sub judice rule is a foreign legal concept,” Santiago explained. “It originated in countries, such as the United States, whose justice systems have adopted the trial by jury system.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100911nat1.html