Prosecutors are urging a judge to reject defense attorneys' claims that a "secret public relations campaign" by federal authorities deprived five former police officers of a fair trial on charges stemming from deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge following Hurricane Katrina.
In a court filing Tuesday, Justice Department prosecutor Bobbi Bernstein said the convicted officers' bid for a new trial must be rejected because it isn't based on any newly discovered evidence. Bernstein also argued that the officers' attorneys haven't shown how media reports on the federal probe of the Danziger Bridge shootings led to an unfair trial.
U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt hasn't indicated when he will rule on the issue.
The officers were sentenced in April to prison terms ranging from six to 65 years.