Fine Issued to Neulander Court Reporter

CAMDEN, N.J. February 7, 2002 — A journalist who violated a court order by approaching a juror during the murder trial of a Cherry Hill rabbi was spared a jail sentence Thursday. Carol Saline, a staff writer at Philadelphia Magazine, received a suspended 30-day jail sentence but was fined $1,000 by Superior Court Judge Theodore Z. Davis. Davis said he decided against jailing her after hearing Thursday from Saline and three character witnesses, particularly David Brandt, a lawyer who is Saline's brother-in-law.

The judge received about a dozen other letters of support for Saline, including one from U.S. Rep. Chaka Fatah, D-Pa.

Last month, Davis found Saline in contempt for speaking with one of the jurors deliberating in the capital murder trial of Rabbi Fred J. Neulander in November.

Saline said she knew her actions were wrong and that she made a mistake when she approached a juror and asked if he would be willing to talk after the trial.

Four reporters for The Philadelphia Inquirer are also facing civil contempt charges for publishing a juror's name after the trial concluded.

Michael Pinsky, the lawyer who represented Saline and who is also representing one of the Inquirer reporters, said that matter deals with First Amendment issues.

This week, the state Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of the unusual order from the trial judge, Linda G. Baxter, that barred reporters from approaching jurors even after the trial.

Baxter declared a mistrial in the high-profile case after jurors said they were deadlocked. Neulander awaits retrial on charges he arranged the 1994 murder of his wife, Carol.

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Author: 6-ABC-AP