HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 09-08 Minnesota Supreme Court candidate asks that her trial by open to cameras PIONEER PRESS Minnesota Supreme Court candidate asks that her trial by open to
cameras
Updated.09/082014 09:47:10 PM CDT TwinCities.com
With her trial on drunken driving and other charges fast approaching,Michelle MacDonald will ask to
allow video cameras in the Hastings courtroom.
MacDonald,the Republican-endorsed Minnesota Supreme Court candidate who is at odds with party
leaders,is scheduled for trial Monday in Dakota County District Court on charges she drove while
intoxicated in Rosemount last year.MacDonald,who also has a family law practice,maintains she is
innocent.
MacDonald faces a count of refusal to submit to a test,a third-degree gross misdemeanor;a count of
DWI,a fourth-degree misdemeanor;a misdemeanor count of obstructing the legal process;and a count
of speeding.
She's scheduled for a court hearing Wednesday afternoon in which she'll seek an order permitting video
recordings of the trial.In court documents,her attorney said the motion will be rooted in the state and
federal constitutional right to a speedy,public trial.
MacDonald isn't the only one who has sought to get the trial on tape.Tim Kinley,a Maplewood man who
hosts a public access talk show,asked in July to be allowed to film it on First Amendment grounds.He is
not affiliated with the case.
Daniel Fluegel,the prosecutor in the case,objected to Kinley's request.Minnesota court rules generally
prohibit photography and video and audio recording in the courtroom in criminal trials unless all parties
agree.
It is not uncommon for media members to ask to be allowed to record in the courtroom,but it is
exceedingly rare for such requests to be granted.
The charges against MacDonald sparked intraparty controversy amid conflicting reports over how much
GOP leaders knew about the allegations when the party endorsed her in May to challenge incumbent
Justice David Lillehaug.
Her relationship with party leaders soured,and MacDonald filed a complaint Wednesday with the state
Office of Administrative Hearings saying agents for the party have tried to undermine her campaign.
The state Office of Administrative Hearings hasn't started reviewing the MacDonald complaint because
she hasn't paid the$50 filing fee,Chief Judge Tammy Pust said Monday.
She's arguing that Republican Party agents attempted to coerce her into repudiating her endorsement
and that party officials disseminated false information about her in violation of the state's Fair Campaign
Practices Act.
A call Monday afternoon to MacDonald was not immediately returned.