Attorney for imams removed from plane loses bid to limit [public] access
Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | June 27, 2007 | Amy Forliti
startribune.com
A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit filed by six Muslim men who were removed from a US Airways flight last fall has declined to limit public access to the case. Omar T. Mohammedi, a New York attorney for the six Muslim scholars, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he sought limited media access because he felt some of the coverage of the case has been biased against his clients.
"When you think of the media, and the way they have been portraying this case, it has not been very helpful. It has been biased," Mohammedi said. "That has caused a lot of stress, a lot of stress on our clients, as well as made it difficult for us to handle this case ... in a manner that it should be handled."
Mohammedi's clients are six imams — Islamic religious leaders — who were removed from a US Airways flight in Minneapolis last fall after passengers reported what they thought was suspicious behavior. The imams, who were handcuffed and questioned, claim the airline discriminated against them and violated their civil rights.
The complaint seeks an undisclosed amount of money for punitive and compensatory damages. Besides US Airways, the lawsuit names other defendants including the Minnesota Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns the airport, and John Does, who could later be identified as passengers.
In a letter dated Tuesday and addressed to Mohammedi, U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery noted that Mohammedi had requested that the court remove members of the media from an electronic distribution list, bar members of the media from attending hearings, and hold proceedings in closed session.
"The Court declines to treat this case in the extraordinary manner that you request," the judge wrote. She added that the public and press have an interest in full access to judicial
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