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Norwalk Chosen
as Site for Skakel Trial
The trial of State of
Connecticut vs. Michael Skakel will be held at the Geographical
Area 20 Courthouse in Norwalk.
Jury selection will begin on
April 2 at the Norwalk Courthouse, located at 17 Belden Ave. Evidence is set
to begin on May 7, if the jury -- 12 regular jurors and four alternates --
has been selected by that date. For planning purposes, please be advised
that jury selection will likely be held from Tuesday through Friday.
Judge John F. Kavanewsky, Jr.
will preside over the trial. The judge has ruled that cameras will not be
allowed in the courtroom during the trial.
Norwalk was chosen because,
after an extensive review, it was determined that the G.A. 20 Courthouse has
a courtroom that will be large enough to accommodate the victim's family,
the defendant's family, the public, and the news media. As for the new
Stamford Courthouse, it will not be ready by April 2.
The Judicial Branch has
scheduled a meeting among the Branch, Norwalk City officials, and the news
media for Tuesday, March 5, to discuss logistics. The meeting will start at
11 a.m. at the Courthouse. News media groups are requested to choose
liaisons from their respective categories to attend the meeting. A list of
those media organizations that have applied so far for credentials
to cover the trial is below. Five representatives may be chosen from
television, four from the print media, and one from radio. The numbers are
proportional, based on the number of requests received as of this morning.
In addition, television
representatives also should start considering the possibility of having to
pool satellite truck resources.
A reminder: Applications for
press credentials to cover the trial are due by 5 p.m. on March 1. No
applications will be accepted after the deadline. Media organizations will
be notified Monday, March 4, of their status.
News organizations must commit
to day-to-day coverage of the evidence portion but not the jury selection
portion of the trial. In applying for credentials, news organizations also
should provide a list of backup reporters who may substitute for the primary
reporter, in the event that he or she is unable to cover on a particular
day.
The Judicial Branch is grateful
to Norwalk Mayor Alex Knopp, Police Chief Harry Rilling, and other Police
and City officials for their help in organizing logistics of the trial.
Please direct any questions to
Rhonda Stearley-Hebert, Manager of Communications, External Affairs
Division, at 860-757-2270. Calls will not be taken by other court personnel,
including the judge.
The following is a list of those
media organizations that have applied so far for credentials:
TELEVISION
Fox 61
WFSB-TV3
NBC30
WTNH-TV8
News 12 Connecticut
WB11
ABC
CBS, The Early Show
CNN
Court TV
New England Cable News
WCBS-TV Channel 2
WBZ4 -- Boston
WHDH-TV Boston
NBC
MSNBC
NBC News Channel
Dual Purpose Productions (Britain)
Fox News Channel
WNBC/News Channel 4
WCVB-TV
NEWSPAPERS AND WIRE SERVICES
Associated Press
The Hartford Courant
Greenwich Time
Greenwich Post
The Hour
New Haven Register
The News-Times
Connecticut Post
Connecticut Law Tribune
New York Times
Newsday
New York Post
New York Daily News
The Boston Globe
USA Today
National Post (Toronto)
RADIO
WGCH-AM 1490
Cox Radio Inc.
Metro Networks
MAGAZINES
Vanity Fair
Greenwich magazine
In addition, three sketch
artists -- Jane Rosenberg, Christine Cornell, and Andrea Sheppard -- have
applied for credentials.
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