Judge Excludes Evidence in Alaska Senator’s Trial
WASHINGTON — The federal judge presiding over the corruption trial of Senator Ted Stevens dealt a sharp blow to the prosecution on Wednesday by excluding some evidence because he said Justice Department prosecutors used documents that they knew contained lies.
The judge, Emmet G. Sullivan of Federal District Court, declined to declare a mistrial or dismiss any of the seven felony counts, as had been urged by Mr. Stevens’s lawyers. But Judge
Sullivan delivered a severe scolding to the prosecution and said he would bar the government from using two categories of evidence central to its case.
Perhaps more important, he said he would tell the jury on Thursday that he was excluding some of the prosecution’s evidence because “the government presented evidence the government knew was not true,” an instruction that is likely to undermine the credibility of the prosecution
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/washington/09stevens.htmlBy NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: October 8, 2008
WASHINGTON — The federal judge presiding over the corruption trial of Senator Ted Stevens dealt a sharp blow to the prosecution on Wednesday by excluding some evidence because he said Justice Department prosecutors used documents that they knew contained lies.
Stevens’s Lawyer Challenges Witness (October 8, 2008)
Senator Warned a Friend That Jail Was a Risk (October 7, 2008)
U.S. v. Stevens: Indictment and Trial Exhibits
The judge, Emmet G. Sullivan of Federal District Court, declined to declare a mistrial or dismiss any of the seven felony counts, as had been urged by Mr. Stevens’s lawyers. But Judge Sullivan delivered a severe scolding to the prosecution and said he would bar the government from using two categories of evidence central to its case.