After Rant, Alex Jones Delays Next Testimony

Lawyer says it's an effort to 'lower the temperature' in Connecticut courtroom
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 23, 2022 2:36 PM CDT
After Rant, Alex Jones Delays Next Testimony
Alex Jones speaks with the media outside of Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., on Thursday.   (H John Voorhees III /Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)

Given Alex Jones' angry outburst in court on Thursday, his lawyer has decided he's in no hurry to put the Infowars host back on the stand. Norm Pattis told the Connecticut court Friday he'll call Jones to the stand next week, USA Today reports. "We think that this will streamline the proceeding, lower the temperature level, and help the jury focus on what it needs to decide," he said. Jones had been scheduled to testify Friday. He's already been found liable for damages for falsely saying the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary was faked; the six-member jury is now deciding how much Jones and the parent company of Infowars owe the victims' families.

Judge Barbara Bellis had proclaimed Friday a "zero tolerance" day, saying anyone who broke the rules would be held in contempt, per the New York Times. Jones nevertheless irked the judge with an impromptu news conference outside the building in Waterbury, in which he listed complaints about the trial. "So this is totally rigged. It's an absolute total fraud," Jones said. He also called on jurors to "research history and understand how dangerous it is when they’ll pick one event of speech that they can say is hurtful, to then use that to set the precedent, to try to knock over all the dominoes and take everybody’s free speech away." Jurors, or course, are not allowed to conduct their own research.

The judge asked Pattis to make clear to Jones the importance of not issuing public instructions to the jury to research the issues. Pattis agreed but said Jones believes his press conferences are the only way to ensure he gets a fair trial. Bellis then again told the jury not to do any such outside research. She also said jurors should avoid any news conferences outside the courthouse and news coverage of the trial. Pattis said he'll next put Jones on the stand on Wednesday, when the families' lawyers probably will be able to question him. (More Alex Jones stories.)

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