I scanned this story yesterday but didn’t have much time to think about it.
In an unusual move, a federal judge Thursday let lawyers for former Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling ask the attorneys for the 15 people who’ve pleaded guilty in Enron cases to provide the judge with certain communications from prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ordered lawyers for Lay, Skilling and co-defendant Rick Causey to draw up a subpoena for 19 defense attorneys who represent the 15 people.
They will ask for all written material, including e-mails, on the topic of trying to keep cooperating defendants from talking to the trio awaiting trial.
Defense attorneys in this case and other Enron-related cases have complained before that not just the cooperating defendants but the more than 100 unindicted co-conspirators have become afraid to speak to defendants.
Lake said he reviewed some sealed material from Lay, Skilling and Causey, and it was enough for him to address the concern “about possible efforts” of the Enron Task Force to inhibit the 15 guilty pleaders from responding to Lay, Skilling and Causey.
Tom was at the courthouse when all this was happening. He’s got a good explanation of what it’s all about and a theory as to what led Judge Lake to take this unusual step. Check it out.