Stewart Asks Judge to Dismiss Two Charges

Martha Stewart, the homemaking mogul indicted on charges of obstructing a U.S. investigation into insider trading, asked a federal judge in New York to dismiss two counts against her.

Stewart, the former chief executive of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., asked a judge to dismiss a charge that she conspired with Merrill Lynch & Co. broker Peter Bacanovic to obstruct a criminal investigation into her sale of $228,000 in ImClone Systems Inc. stock in 2001. She also asked the judge in charge of her case to drop a charge that she committed securities fraud in making public statements to explain her stock sale.