Silence in the courtroom

A federal judge in Los Angeles "took the highly unusual step of closing a two-day trial" dealing with the killing of Jewish Defense League activist Earl Krugel. The LA Times reports:

Constitutional scholars and press-freedom advocates deemed the broad secrecy accorded the trial by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson perplexing -- and a likely violation of the 1st Amendment.

Terry Francke at Californians Aware notes:

The Times apparently learned of this closure only after the fact. In the old days of an abundant reporting staff, that would not have happened, and Times lawyers would have almost certainly filed a challenge to the order immediately.