AP News, March 2nd, 2007
A rapper under house arrest can promote his new CD and novel but cannot talk about the second-degree murder charge against him, a state judge has ruled.
Corey Miller, 35, has been ordered to stay at his grandmother's Kenner home until his new trial in the Jan. 12, 2002, death of a 16-year-old who was shot in the chest during a brawl at a now-closed club in Harvey. No trial date has been set.
Judge Martha Sassone told Miller on Thursday that the rules of his house arrest remain the same: She must approve any visitors, including reporters.
"As it pertains to his livelihood, (Miller) can speak to whomever he likes on the phone insofar as it doesn't relate to this case," the judge said.
Sassone has had a gag order in place for years to keep pretrial publicity to a minimum. The judge issued a written one June 14 against "discussing or divulging any aspects of this case without anyone not a party."
Miller's attorneys said the gag order conflicted with his constitutional right to free speech and expression, in court papers filed last month.
Though Sassone has a "duty" to minimize pretrial publicity, she cannot "extinguish" his right to free speech, attorneys Ron Rakosky and Robert Glass wrote.
Miller faces "severe consequences" if he cannot earn money to pay legal fees and to support his family, Rakosky said.
Twice last fall, Sassone rejected Miller's request for interviews to promote his CD, but allowed him to be photographed in his grandmother's home.
With Rakosky's help, Miller recorded an album while in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. The recording drew the ire of Sheriff Harry Lee, who then limited what Miller's attorneys could bring into the parish jail.
The rapper also wrote a novel in jail and mailed the notebooks to family members over a two-year period, Miller said in his author's notes.
"Death Around the Corner," which publisher Vibe Street Lit describes as "a cautionary tale of how easily an innocent youth can become a hardened criminal," was written under Miller's stage name C-Murder. He has generally used the name C-Miller since his arrest.
