A patient can be stable and in critical or serious condition at the same time. When I ve pressed nursing supervisors on this recently, they ve converted stable to fair. Now THAT tells you something. The Illinois Supreme Court implemented new rules last month that limit what lawyers, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials can say about pending cases. That has prompted police in some areas to block the release of even the most basic blotter information.
Media groups say the rules reflect a national trend.
Va. That means the media is going to have to rely on leaks and rumors and innuendo. The high court s new rules follow the guidelines of the American Bar Association. They advise lawyers against talking about confessions, physical evidence or the possibility of a guilty plea. The rules were revised after a 1991 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the power of states to restrict what lawyers can say about pending cases. William R. Quinlan, chairman of the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee, said the changes merely spell out the responsibility of lawyers and prosecutors in guaranteeing suspects a fair trial.