High court can’t help exiled media

Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000 | 12:03 p.m.

The court decided that it could not grant an effective redress to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the Nevada Appeal and The Associated Press. They had sought to challenge a decision by District Judge Michael Griffin that excluded the media from a hearing involving three men accused of killing wild horses in the Virginia City area.

Griffin would not let media representatives attend an April 14 hearing at which he discussed whether the men gave voluntary statements to police.

More than 30 horses were found outside Virginia City in December 1998.

After various hearings, the trio were charged in just one killing. The Storey County district attorney has appealed to have other charges reinstated.

In the brief decision released on Monday, the court also denied the three press outlets' request that transcripts of the closed hearing be given to them and the public at no charge.

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