Gag order keeps lawyers mum with press, triggers confrontation

Strafford County Superior Court Judge Peter Fauver issued a gag order Thursday banning lawyers from talking to the media about a trial surrounding a former New Hampshire congressional candidate’s car accident.

Fauver issued the order after the Portsmouth Herald published a statement in which defense attorney J.P. Nadeau discussed a taped interview that the jury heard during the trial.

The order prompted a confrontation between Nadeau and a reporter who, during a break in the case, intended to make photocopies of the statement for the press pool. Nadeau grabbed the statement from the reporter after he refused to hand it over. When court resumed, Fauver demanded a copy of the statement.

Fauver said the order, which prohibits lawyers of both parties from commenting on “substantive issues relating to the trial,” will last until the jury reaches a verdict.

Gary Dodds, 43, is facing charges, including falsifying evidence, relating to an April 2006 car accident.