On January 31, 2018, Marks Gray news media and First Amendment attorney Edward Birk was interviewed outside the Duval County courthouse by New4Jax.

Birk represents Graham Media Group/News4Jax in a dispute about what evidence will be made public in the high-profile case involving the 1998 kidnapping of Kamiyah Mobley as a newborn.

News4Jax and a coalition of news organizations filed a public records request to the State Attorney’s Office about the case, but defendant Gloria Williams’ attorney filed an order of protection to stop the media from accessing the material.

“These are public records that have been gathered by law enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office, and the law says they belong to the public,” said Birk. “And the public has a right to know what is in this evidence.”

After several hearings, the court ordered most of the documents and recordings released to the public, but sealed several pieces of evidence until trial to protect the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to an unbiased jury.