New mug shots could soon be released of accused Tucson shooter Jared Loughner, following a new federal court ruling.
Jared Lee Loughner is accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Loughner’s trial is months away, but his attorneys were in court in San Diego on Friday trying to halt the release of photos and new information about the case.
The most widely recognized photo of Loughner (pictured above) has been used in news reports and websites around the world. But the U.S. Marshal's office has two other photos of Loughner taken when he was booked in federal prison in Arizona, after his alleged shooting spree.
Loughner was not in court, but his lawyers argued that publication of those photos could inflame public opinion against Loughner and make it harder for him to get a fair trial.
Judge Larry Burns disagreed.
Burns said he has seen the photos and said they are much tamer than the other, widely circulated photo.
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It's unclear when the U.S. Marshal's Office will release the booking photos.
But Burns agreed with prosecutors on another issue, when he refused to unseal search warrant records in the case that contain new information about the government's case against Loughner.
"There may be information related to victims, victims' statements in the search warrant, and whether releasing that now is going to harm their privacy rights, because they didn't go on TV and publish this, they talked to an agent," explained legal analyst John Kirby.
