Screenings Ordered for Moussaoui Papers

One week after releasing papers showing that the U.S. government mistakenly gave accused Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui classified documents, a federal judge on Thursday set up a new system aimed at preventing such an error again.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered federal prosecutors and the court-appointed standby lawyers who are assisting Moussaoui to vet all documents through classification specialists before sharing them with Moussaoui.

Moussaoui, who is not a lawyer, is representing himself in the death penalty case. But a team of standby lawyers is on hand to assist him and to take over if necessary.

Brinkema’s order came one week after she unsealed documents showing that the government gave 48 classified documents to Moussaoui by mistake over the last few months as part of the huge amount of evidence turned over to him by the prosecutors.

The classified documents--FBI summaries of interviews--then had to be retrieved during several days of searching Moussaoui’s cell.

Moussaoui complained about the interruption of his trial preparation, and Brinkema agreed that it was one reason to grant a new extension of his trial. The trial is now set to start on June 30.

Brinkema’s order was filed after a closed hearing Wednesday with prosecutors and Moussaoui’s standby lawyers.

She said the procedures were to be followed “to avoid the inadvertent disclosure of classified information to the defendant and/or the public.”

The classification specialists to be used by the defense will be “walled off” from all attorneys and investigators on the prosecution, Brinkema said.