The Ohio Supreme Court has stepped in to loosen some media restrictions in the criminal trial of two former FirstEnergy executives.
In a unanimous decision, the Court blocked parts of an order from a Summit County judge that limited what news outlets could report and record during the trial of Charles Jones and Mike Dowling. The two men are accused of involvement in the House Bill 6 bribery scandal, one of the largest public corruption cases in Ohio history.
The case has drawn enormous public attention, in part because the defense has listed Gov. Mike DeWine and former Lt. Governor Jon Husted, now a U.S. senator, as potential witnesses.
Just before the trial began in late January, the judge issued an order limiting what could be published about jurors and allowing witnesses to broadly object to being photographed or recorded. Three Ohio newspapers challenged those restrictions.
The Supreme Court ruled that blocking publication of juror information without holding a hearing violates First Amendment protections. Justices said judges can’t restrict press coverage without evidence and proper findings.
The Court also ruled that if a witness objects to being recorded, others affected, including the media, must have a chance to be heard. It further clarified that defendants can be recorded unless they’re actually testifying.
The trial is ongoing in Akron.
