The judge in Karen Read’s trial has lifted a ban on protests within a 200-foot buffer zone outside the Massachusetts courtroom.
Judge Beverly Cannone in April ordered that there should be a buffer zone around the Norfolk County Courthouse to prevent protesters from getting too close. She argued it was necessary to ensure Read had a fair trial and to stop the jury from being distracted.
But a group of protesters sued Cannone and the State Police in federal court, arguing that the ruling violated their First Amendment free speech rights, and while a federal judge sided with her, she has changed course.
Why It Matters
Read, who worked as a financial analyst and adjunct professor at Bentley University, is facing a retrial over charges of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. She is accused of fatally hitting her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, who worked as a Boston police officer for 16 years, with her car in 2022. Read’s team said O’Keefe went to a friend’s house after their drinks and there was an altercation, after which his body was discovered outside in the snow.
Her first trial ended in a mistrial last year after the jurors announced they could not reach a verdict.
What To Know
Cannone removed the buffer after being urged to reconsider by jurists. The protesters’ lawyer, Mark Randazza, told an appeals court that his clients would remain silent and protest only on streets and sidewalks off courthouse property. He also said they would agree to stay away when jurors entered and left the courthouse.
What People Are Saying
Judge Beverly Cannone, in an order: “Quiet, offsite demonstrations on public property, in areas and at times that do not interfere with trial participants’ entrance into or exit from the Courthouse, and that do not interfere with the orderly administration of justice, and that are not intended to influence any trial participants in the discharge of their duties are specifically outside the scope of the Buffer Zone restrictions.”
Harmeet K. Dhillon, a Trump lawyer: “SO proud of my former colleagues at the nonprofit I founded, and my good friend and brilliant First Amendment guerilla lawyer.”
Attorney Mark Randazza, in a statement: “The First Amendment is back from vacation in Massachusetts. After treating courthouse sidewalks like North Korea with better landscaping, the First Circuit reminded everyone that free speech doesn’t take vacations just because one judge or police department is offended.”
What Happens Next
Read’s retrial is expected to last six to eight weeks, with 18 jurors deliberating the case. If convicted of murder, she could face life in prison.
Read also faces a pending wrongful death lawsuit filed by O’Keefe’s estate, though those proceedings are on hold until the criminal trial concludes.
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