State District Judge Joe Bob Golden issued a blanket order Feb. 2 barring demonstrations within two blocks of the Jasper County Courthouse when John William King's trial begins on Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege a racial motive.
Ms. Witherspoon claims Golden's rules are overly broad and unconstitutional. Golden's order asks all groups and individuals wanting to demonstrate to do so two blocks away from the courthouse so they won't harass or endanger jurors in the highly-publicized case. The order also bars any firearms within that two-block radius. There was no answer at Golden's office Friday. Last year, members of the New Black Panther Party and the Ku Klux Klan rushed to this East Texas town of 8,000 within days of Byrd's slaying to use the courthouse square as a platform for rallies.