W. Preston Battle, criminal court judge in Tennessee's Shelby County, is determined to keep the trial of James Earl Ray from turning into a courtroom circus. To make sure, Battle has issued a code of procedure that, among other things, prohibits any prejudicial, out-of-court discussion of the case by the principals. Last week, with the trial of Martin Luther King's alleged assassin still more than a month away, Battle made it clear that he meant what he said. He not only found Ray's lawyer and private detective guilty of contempt, but he issued contempt citations against two Memphis newsmen.
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