OREGON STANDOFF:  HEARINGS START MONDAY IN FBI AGENT CASE AS DEFENSE WANTS EXPERTS BANNED FROM TRIAL

The defense lawyers for FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita will be using four days of hearings in the coming week to tear down the prosecution's case against him.

Astarita is accused of lying about the shots he fired in the direction of LaVoy Finicum at a roadblock along Route 395 in Harney County, Oregon on January 26, 2016.   The shots were fired moments before Oregon State Police fatally shot Finicum alongside his truck.

Federal prosecutors are using the work of an Oregon shooting team investigation that includes both expert witnesses and a 3-D animation of the trajectory of a bullet the prosecution says was fired by the FBI agent.

Defense lawyers are trying to use the "Daubert hearings" set for May 21st to 24th (Monday thru Thursday) to knock out witnesses the prosecution wants to present at trial, set to begin at US District Court in Portland July 24th.

Senior US District Judge Robert E. Jones is handling the case and will rule on who will be allowed to testify at trial and what evidence will be allowed.

Judge Jones was responsible for detention of those arrested in connection with the Oregon Standoff protest in 2016, telling Ammon and Ryan Bundy in a courthouse jail cell that they were not eligible for release on bail.

Link below.......


Wikipedia on "Daubert standard"

(EDITED SATURDAY PM, EXPANDED WITH LINK SATURDAY PM)