The U.S. Justice Department, denying a report in the Washington Post, says it opposes moving the case of accused Tucson gunman Jared Loughner out of Arizona to San Diego or another location, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Post, quoting anonymous sources, said that “federal court authorities” were preparing for the Loughner case to be moved in the next few weeks because of the massive publicity about the case in Arizona.
The 22-year-old man is accused of killing six people, including a federal judge, and shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), at an event in Tucson that the congresswoman held to meet constituents. San Diego federal Judge Larry Burns has been designated to hear the case after the entire Arizona federal bench recused itself to avoid the appearance of bias against Loughner. The district's chief judge, John Roll, was killed in the Jan. 8 rampage.
Link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jan/17/justice-department-will-fight-moving-loughner-case/