Anti-Abortion Lawyer Released From County Jail : Law: Cyrus Zal, cited for contempt 20 times during a trial of abortion foes, is released on work furlough.

Anti-abortion lawyer Cyrus Zal, who reported to County Jail in August to begin serving a 290-day contempt-of-court sentence, went back to the practice of law Wednesday through a work furlough program.

Zal, 42, joined the office of Stephen E. Hurst, an Encinitas attorney who is active in the anti-abortion movement.

A condition of Zal’s furlough bars him from serving as a trial attorney in any abortion-related case. But he said he is allowed to appear in court on an abortion-related case and “be an adviser and counselor--as long as I don’t speak up in the courtroom. The fear is that I would speak up again and draw more contempt--which I would never do.”

Zal, a Folsom-based attorney, was cited for contempt 20 times during a trial last February by El Cajon Municipal Judge Larrie R. Brainard after being warned not to discuss abortion.

Despite the warning, Zal, a former general counsel for the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, repeatedly brought up the abortion issue while questioning witnesses during the trial of six abortion foes. All six, who were accused of trespassing during a protest in October, 1989, at a La Mesa clinic, were convicted.

Zal appealed his contempt citations, but in July, the California Supreme Court rejected his appeal. He reported to jail Aug. 13.

He said Wednesday that he is still pursuing one final appeal of his sentence--to the U.S. Supreme Court. He said he hoped to file that appeal later this week, but called it a “long shot.”

If the appeal fails, Zal is set for release from county custody on April 23.

The work furlough program requires Zal to be in custody--in San Diego--each night and on weekends. He is not allowed to drive while in the program, and the trip to Encinitas takes four buses and three hours each way. But Zal said he was thrilled to be out of jail kitchen duty and back at law, especially since he is at least $25,000 in debt.