Media Told to Avoid Stewart Case Jury Pool

Prospective jurors in the fraud trial of Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., may not be contacted by the media, a federal judge ordered just days before jury selection was set to begin.

Stewart, who built her homemaking savvy into a multimillion-dollar business, faces obstruction of justice and securities fraud charges over statements she made about her sale of ImClone Systems Inc. stock.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday, with opening arguments slated Jan. 22. The trial is expected to last six weeks.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Cedarbaum’s order was issued in New York after she concluded that intense press coverage of Stewart might influence potential jurors against her and endanger her right to a fair trial.

Shares of Martha Stewart Living rose 31 cents to $10.16 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has risen nearly 7% since June 3, the day before Stewart’s indictment was announced.