When Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner appears before a judge on March 9, he will do so in a federal courtroom in Tucson, the judge handling Loughner's case ruled this morning.
Loughner appeared in a Phoenix federal court last week where a plea of
not-guilty was entered on his behalf for the attempted murders of
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aides outside of a
Safeway grocery store in Tucson on January 8.
Prosecutors filed a motion asking to have the trial venue moved to
Tucson so victims of the rampage shooting wouldn't be forced to drive
two hours to attend court proceedings.
Loughner's attorney, Judy Clark, reportedly told the court that she didn't object to having the trial moved.
Federal Judge Larry Burns issued a subsequent order
following last week's hearing indicating that Loughner's next court
appearance would be in Phoenix. However, the motion to have the
proceedings moved to Tucson, Burns said, remained under advisement. This
morning, Burns ordered that the proceedings be moved to Tucson.
Clark is likely to ask for a change in venue for Loughner's trial
because of the intense media coverage of the shooting and the impact
it's had on the Tucson community. Burns said in this morning's order
that the "order does not affect the defendant's right to move for a
change of venue in the future."
