Trial date set in SLA case

March 6, 2000
Web posted at: 8:42 PM EST (0142 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A judge Monday set a trial date of August 14 for the bombing conspiracy case of 1970s radical Sara Jane Olson.

Olson, formerly known as Kathleen Anne Soliah, is charged with conspiring to murder by planting bombs under two Los Angeles Police cars in 1975, allegedly to avenge the deaths of Symbionese Liberation Army members killed in a fiery police shootout. Neither of the bombs went off.

Olson was a fugitive for nearly 25 years, living much of that time in Minnesota, until she was apprehended in 1999.

Judge James Ideman said delaying the trial until August was necessary to allow Alternate Public Defender Henry Hall time to review the case. Hall recently replaced Stuart Hanlon, who had to remove himself from the case due to family reasons.

Also at issue in Monday's hearing was the gag order earlier issued by the judge.

The prosecution filed a motion that stated that Olson and Hanlon discussed the case on television after a symposium on February 12, violating the gag order.

The judge said that both Olson and Hanlon did "state or imply that this is some sort of political prosecution of dissidence left over from the 1970s." He said he did not understand the reference to suppression of dissent and added that the issue in the case is "a very powerful bomb was placed under a car in front of a crowded restaurant ... This was a very real crime and whoever is responsible should be brought to justice."

The judge made it clear he was not passing judgment on whether Olson was guilty of the crime.

The judge also said he wondered if "this is some sort of test for the court." He told Olson's attorneys, "I do not make an order that I'm not fully prepared to enforce."

Susan Jordan, one of Olson's attorneys, said she would like to reply in writing to address the issue of the gag order. The judge granted the request and set March 21 to revisit the issue.

Olson was not present at Monday's hearing.

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