NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A state judge has agreed to open the juvenile trial of one of the black teenagers known as the Jena Six.
District Judge J.P. Mauffray agreed Thursday to open Mychal Bell’s trial but noted in a court filing that he was not required to open pretrial hearings. Bell, 17, is set for trial Dec. 6 on charges of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy in an attack last December on Justin Barker, a white student at Jena High School. Barker spent several hours in the emergency room, but attended a school event later that day. Typically, juvenile trials are closed to the public.
The Associated Press and 24 other news organizations filed a lawsuit seeking full access to Bell’s case. [via ASSOCIATED PRESS]