A federal judge will not block the public from accessing court documents or attending hearings in a lawsuit filed by a group of imams who say they were wrongly removed from a US Airways flight.
The imams’ lawyer, Omar T. Mohammedi, asked U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery in Minnesota to “remove members of the media” from the court’s electronic case filing distribution list and hold proceedings in closed session.
Mr. Mohammedi did not respond to a request for comment but told the judge his clients had received death threats and had been unfairly criticized in press reports and unspecified Internet blogs.
“We are just asking the media to be balanced and reflect what was said … and to let justice take its course,” Mr. Mohammedi told the Associated Press. “I’m asking the media to be a little bit more responsible in reporting the facts of the case. That actually would prevent a lot of issues,” Mr. Mohammedi said.
The six imams are suing the airline, the Minnesota Metropolitan Airports Commission and “John Doe” passengers who reported the men behaved suspiciously aboard Flight 300 from Minneapolis to Phoenix on Nov. 20 before their removal. The imams are asking for an unspecified amount of money in damages.
The airline and airport commission argued that the hearings are public proceedings and should not be closed and also suggested the negative publicity resulted from press conferences held by the imams. Neither the airline nor commission have officially commented on the case.
“After reviewing the parties’ submissions, the court declines to treat this case in the extraordinary manner that you request,” Judge Montgomery said this week.
“Under the First Amendment, the public and the press have a significant interest in full access to all judicial proceedings, both criminal and civil. You have provided no legal authority supporting your request to limit public access to this case.”
Scott Johnson, a Minnesota lawyer, described the federal courthouse as “armed with state-of-the-art security.”
“It’s top of the line,” he said.
The imams filed suit in March saying they were racially discriminated against and did not disrupt the flight but prayed quietly beforehand. They had attended a conference sponsored by the North American Imam Federation in Minneapolis and were returning to Phoenix.
Passengers and flight crew said the imams prayed loudly before boarding, switched seating assignments, asked for seat-belt extensions and criticized President Bush and the war in Iraq.
The first court hearing on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit will be held in early August.
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