Jackson search warrants to remain sealed
Judge says he wants case to be tried before year's end

SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) --The date for a preliminary hearing for singer Michael Jackson, charged with molesting a child, will be decided April 2, and search warrants in the case will remain sealed, a judge ruled Friday.

But even as the hearing was pushed back, the judge said he hoped the trial would move quickly.
"I would like to see this case tried before the end of the year," Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville said.

Jackson did not attend Friday's hearing.
Media lawyers have sought to unseal many documents in the case, including search warrants and affidavits that allowed items belonging to Jackson to be seized. CNN was one of the news organizations arguing the warrant should be public on First Amendment grounds.

The judge said he will order that warrants remain sealed, but will release redacted versions, including warrants for telephone records and computer hard drives, some of which were removed from Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

'When the prosecution puts together a search warrant affidavit, they only put in the most incriminating evidence they can find. So this is really... a road map to the prosecution's case," CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said.

"The defense has made the ... argument that the prejudicial publicity from the release of that is too great, so keep it secret," Toobin said.
The judge said he also will consider a request for "safe harbor," a provision that would allow lawyers to respond to rumors and misinformation circulated in the media.

Melville also ordered Jackson to be in court March 5 to extend a waiver that allows defense attorney Mark Geragos to represent him in court. That waiver expires March 13.

After the hearing, defense attorney Ben Brafman denied reports that his joining the defense team meant Geragos would no longer be involved in the trial.

Geragos is here to stay, Brafman said. Referring to the reports, he said, "I think it's annoying and it's taking up our time.

"It was revealed in court that prosecutors have handed over about 900 pages of evidence to the defense. The contents were not made public.

Jackson, 45, pleaded not guilty January 16 to seven felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and two counts of giving the child an "intoxicating agent." The charges involve incidents alleged to have occurred in February and March 2003, when the child was 12, District Attorney Tom Sneddon said.

The singer and his lawyers contend that the boy and his family have made the allegations for financial gain.

Police booked the pop star November 20, and he has been free on $3 million bond.
Jackson fans gathered outside the courthouse Friday, but far fewer than the 3,000 who showed up for the singer's arraignment.

"Michael's a great guy. I've never met him," Anthony Rocker said. "In his heart, he has so much compassion, like what he does for kids. He constantly donates his time and money for kids. I do not believe the charges."

He added, "The charges haven't shown me enough to convict Michael. If he's convicted, I won't believe the conviction."

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CNN.COM -- Miguel Marquez