A Woodland dentist abandoned his request Monday to exclude the media from his trial on charges of sexual battery against female patients.
Mark Anderson, 49, is expected to face a jury later this month in Yolo Superior Court.
His lawyer, Michael Rothschild, said at Monday's hearing that a lawyer for The Bee, Charity Kenyon, had convinced him the request was "far too broad and not legally sustainable."
But Rothschild asked Judge Stephen Mock whether he might limit the number of reporters so jurors would not be tainted by news coverage.
Rothschild had submitted a stack of newspaper stories and television transcripts to show what he called the "onslaught" of media coverage since Anderson was arrested in September 2007.
The case, he said, had even made headlines in India.
"I get hate mail from Bombay," he told the judge.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Gorman said the public has a right to know what happens in court.
"The way the public does that is through the media," he said. "This is exactly what the Constitution is all about."
Mock said extraordinary restrictions on media coverage weren't needed.
"There's not going to be a circus in this case," he said.
The judge said jury questionnaires would help screen out biased jurors, and he would instruct prospective jurors to avoid news about the case.
Anderson was indicted on 20 felony counts and one misdemeanor count of sexual battery for allegedly touching the breasts of 14 female patients.
His first arraignment in October 2007 was continued. Rothschild emerged from a closed court building and told reporters waiting for the court building's doors to open that what should have been a public hearing was over.
Rothschild told Mock that a Bee editorial Monday had suggested he and a court commissioner had conspired to exclude the media.
"There's no conspiracy going on," he said.
Speaking for The Bee, Kenyon said access to basic information in the case had been hampered by a gag order, sought by Rothschild. The gag order is "so broad that Mr. Rothschild can't set the record straight," she told the judge.
Call The Bee's Hudson Sangree, (916) 321-1191.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.