Judge Denies Gag Order in George Zimmerman Murder Case

Prosecutors handling the second degree murder charge against George Zimmerman requested a gag order, because of what they believed was a campaign by the defense to taint the jury. Seminole County Circuit Judge Debra Nelson decided against issuing the gag order in the high profile murder case, saying that there was no evidence of “an overriding pattern of prejudicial commentary that will overcome reasonable efforts to select a fair and impartial jury.”

“Judge Nelson recognized that gag orders can be used only as a last resort if there is no other way to make sure there will be an impartial jury,” said Media Law Partner Scott Ponce. “Judges have a lot of tools they can use to make sure jurors are impartial, and Judge Nelson is going to use those tools instead entering a gag order” he said.