Grace opposes closed circuit television

A request by federal prosecutors to allow Libby residents to view the upcoming criminal trial of W.R. Grace and seven current and former company officials via closed circuit television is meeting opposition from defense attorneys.

In a recent motion filed in U.S. District Court in Missoula, the attorneys argue that both federal and local court rules prohibit cameras in the courtroom and that the Grace case does not meet two specific exceptions that have been carved out of the federal rule.

The first exception covers cases in which the venue has been moved out of state or more than 350 miles from where the proceedings would originally have taken place.

The second exception was specifically created for the case against accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and allowed for to allow victims in that case to view the proceedings via closed circuit television.