Larry Flint has finally crossed the 1st. Amendment Line! Can he get much sicker than that?
A DeKalb County Superior Court judge this afternoon issued a temporary restraining order that bars the Georgia Bureau of Investigation from releasing crime scene photos of slain hiker Meredith Emerson to Hustler magazine.
Emerson's family sued the GBI on Tuesday, asking for an order to prevent authorities from releasing the photos to protect the privacy of the slain University of Georgia graduate.
Emerson, 24, who lived in Buford and worked in Winder, was abducted Jan. 1, 2008, while hiking with her dog near Blood Mountain in North Georgia.
Gary Michael Hilton, a drifter with a record of petty crimes, held her captive for three days before beating her to death. Hilton pleaded guilty to the murder and received a life sentence for the crime, and is awaiting trial for a similar crime in Florida.
State lawmakers and law enforcement officers have condemned Hustler's Open Records Act request for photos of Emerson's decapitated body.
The Meredith Emerson Privacy Act, which would bar law enforcement agencies from releasing such photos in the future, is pending in the state General Assembly.
Comments
Larry Flint has finally crossed the 1st. Amendment Line! Can he get much sicker than that?
Why did he want them I wonder?
They have a crime writer doing a story on the case - like it or not it is news.
State legilsators and law enforcement can condemn the request all they want, but it is a basic 1st Ammendment right. There is no reason for this case file including the pictures to be withheld from an ORA request regardless of who requests it. These jacklegs in Atlanta need to respect the state's and country's Constitutions.
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