Reporters Committee condemns handcuffing of New Orleans journalist during courtroom closure

During a July hearing in New Orleans, deputies temporarily restrained WWL investigative producer Danny Monteverde and the outlet’s counsel Elana Beiser after they attempted to challenge Judge Leon Roche’s decision to shut the courtroom where a grand-jury indictment against Attorney General Liz Murrill was to be read. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, through attorney Virginia Hamrick, wrote to the criminal court chief judge insisting that press objections be considered before any closure and condemning the handcuffing as an unlawful intimidation tactic.

Roche had argued the closure was needed to protect grand-juror anonymity, yet the committee noted no evidentiary basis for such a measure. The episode unfolded against a backdrop of partisan disputes over a law that removed a long-held clerk post and a grand-jury indictment that the state supreme court later put on hold, leading to the case’s dismissal. WWL’s statement emphasized that journalists should not be detained for seeking transparency, while the sheriff’s office maintained its deputies acted on received directives. The Reporters Committee offered to provide training on lawful access to court proceedings, citing its leadership that includes former editors Marty Baron and Jeffrey Goldberg.