Judge Issues Sweeping Gag Order in Olson Trial

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday issued a global gag order barring the defendant, lawyers and witnesses from commenting on any of his rulings in the 24-year-old Sara Jane Olson bombing conspiracy case--including the gag order itself.

James M. Ideman’s order also declares eight other areas off-limits for discussion anywhere in the world. They include “character, credibility, criminal record or reputation of any party, attorney or witness.” It bars discussion of the strength or weakness of the case, opinions regarding Olson’s guilt or innocence or any plea bargaining that might occur.

“The only thing I can say is nothing. Any comment I make violates the order,” said Olson’s defense attorney, Susan B. Jordan, who had asked Ideman to loosen his previous gag so Olson could speak freely at fund-raising events.

Ideman’s order closely followed a proposed gag order submitted by prosecutors Eleanor Hunter and Michael Latin. Asked to comment, district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said, “No, there’s a gag order.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, which joined the defense in opposing the gag order, is considering an appeal.

“People were gagging before. Now they’re strangling,” said ACLU lawyer Carol Soble.

Legal analysts were struck by Ideman’s attempt to restrict comment beyond the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Ideman specifically stated that his gag “is not limited to any geographical boundaries, given the reach of modern communications.”

The 53-year-old Olson, formerly known as Kathleen Soliah, is accused of scheming with members of a notorious 1970s radical group, the Symbionese Liberation Army, to kill Los Angeles police officers by planting nail-packed pipe bombs under parked squad cars.

In his order, Ideman cited “an extraordinary amount of publicity” in the case. He also took note of “extensive statements reported by the media concerning the alleged strength of the case, the credibility or lack of credibility of certain witnesses, the fairness or unfairness of the prosecution, and the background and history of the defendant and others connected with the case.”

Testimony before a grand jury 24 years ago has been difficult for prosecutors because several witnesses have died, memories are hazy and none of the physical evidence directly tied Olson to the pipe bombs planted under two police cars in August 1975.

Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, who was kidnapped at 19 by the SLA and later joined the group, has been identified by prosecutors as a key witness.

In previous rulings and statements, the judge has indicated he will permit prosecutors to delve into SLA crimes allegedly committed before Olson became affiliated with the group. But he also has said he is not interested in a recitation of the turbulent politics of the era.

Ideman said that as the August trial date approaches, publicity about the case “has the potential of infecting the jury pool to the extent that a fair and impartial jury will not be possible.”

Soble, the ACLU lawyer, said, “We’ll probably be seeing Judge Ideman in another court,” suggesting an appeal is likely.

The judge dismissed the ACLU’s proposed order as “so vague as to be unenforceable.”

The bombs that Olson is accused of planting with former boyfriend James Kilgore and SLA leader William Harris did not explode. When Hearst and other SLA members were taken into custody in San Francisco about a month later, Olson and Kilgore disappeared.

Olson, who settled in St. Paul, Minn., was raising three teenage daughters and was active in her church and local politics when she was arrested in June.