By Sue LindsayDenver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
Supermarket weekly editor Craig Lewis and former Boulder attorney Thomas Miller have lost their bid to sidestep charges of commercial bribery and extortion by having the statutes declared unconstitutional. Jefferson County District Judge Jane Tidball upheld the constitutionality of both statutes in a ruling issued Monday. Miller then pleaded innocent to the charges Thursday. Globe editor Lewis and Miller are charged in connection with an attempt to purchase a copy of the ransom note in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Lewis allegedly offered to pay a private documents examiner $30,000 for the note. Miller is the accused middleman in the deal. Lewis and Miller were indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury. Their attorneys argued the statutes were so vague and overbroad that they are unconstitutional. Attorneys for Lewis argued that use of the commercial bribery statute against him would have a chilling effect on newsgathering. The judge concluded that the $30,000 offer for the ransom note was not a routine newsgathering technique. Tidball also said the defendants failed to show that newsgathering had been impaired by prosecution under the statutes. May 19, 2000
Supermarket weekly editor Craig Lewis and former Boulder attorney Thomas Miller have lost their bid to sidestep charges of commercial bribery and extortion by having the statutes declared unconstitutional.
Jefferson County District Judge Jane Tidball upheld the constitutionality of both statutes in a ruling issued Monday. Miller then pleaded innocent to the charges Thursday.
Globe editor Lewis and Miller are charged in connection with an attempt to purchase a copy of the ransom note in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Lewis allegedly offered to pay a private documents examiner $30,000 for the note. Miller is the accused middleman in the deal.
Lewis and Miller were indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury. Their attorneys argued the statutes were so vague and overbroad that they are unconstitutional.
Attorneys for Lewis argued that use of the commercial bribery statute against him would have a chilling effect on newsgathering. The judge concluded that the $30,000 offer for the ransom note was not a routine newsgathering technique. Tidball also said the defendants failed to show that newsgathering had been impaired by prosecution under the statutes.
May 19, 2000
