Washington

Stating a concern that publicity surrounding the trial of four men charged with murdering Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor might jeopardize their right to a fair trial, a Miami-Dade circuit judge issued a gag order in the case Jan. 8. Attorneys, prosecutors, the police and Taylor's family are all prohibited from speaking about the case or about statements previously made to police.

Dec. 6, 2007  ·   A surveillance videotape taken onboard a school bus is not exempt from the state's Public Disclosure Act, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Nov. 15.

The Seattle Times reports that three of the paper’s reporters could launch the first test of Washington’s shield law.

Seattle’s city attorney subpoenaed the reporters to ascertain the identity of confidential sources who provided information for a series of articles covering an investigation into police misconduct.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act request today to compel the Justice Department to hand over documents about how federal officials have reportedly tracked people using their mobile phone signals. The move comes after the Washington Post reported on the practice last week.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy ordered the White House to preserve copies of all its e-mail messages in response to two lawsuits, which seek to determine whether the Bush administration violated federal law by destroying other electronic communications.

Nov. 1, 2007  ·   The Washington state Department of Corrections agreed Wednesday to pay $65,000 to settle a lawsuit over its refusal to provide electronic versions of inmate benefits records.

The settlement comes on the heels of a September directive from the governor's office, calling on officials to "make electronic copies of nonexempt public records available."