Blogger returns to court for Guldi trial

A day after tossing a blogger from his courtroom, a Suffolk County Court judge relented Thursday and let her back in while expressing the hope that she would stop jeopardizing jury selection in the mortgage fraud trial of former legislator George Guldi.

Judge James F.X. Doyle was disturbed Wednesday after prosecutors alerted him that political blogger Terri Scofield had posted sensitive details potential jurors had revealed about themselves, including one juror's admission she had been a victim of incest. He had her escorted from the courtroom when she refused to say if the blog post was hers.

On Thursday, Doyle revisited the issue.

Scofield's attorney, Arthur Graseck Jr. of Oakdale, said her Internet post was protected by the Constitution's guarantees of free speech and public access to trials.

"People have the right to do what they want," Doyle replied. "They can do things that are unhelpful."

The judge said if the privacy of potential jurors needs to be protected, he could move some proceedings to his chambers, away from the public. He and lawyers in the case agreed that would be unwieldy. But Doyle admitted he might have no choice, telling Graseck, "I would hope she follows reasonable rules."

Scofield then yelled from the gallery, "How do I know what's appropriate?" Doyle told Graseck, "Control your client."

SEE PHOTOSGeorge Guldi

Afterward, Doyle met in chambers to discuss a possible plea deal with prosecutors, Guldi and Eric Naiburg, the attorney for Guldi's co-defendant, Brandon Lisi.

Jury selection is scheduled to resume Friday.