Today, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals scheduled arguments in Officer William Porter’s appeal for March 4. The decision will affect not only the trial of Officer Caesar Goodson, whom Porter is appealing being compelled to testify against, but those of the remaining four officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, which happened while he was in custody of Baltimore police. Baltimore Sun reporter Kevin Rector shared the decision via Twitter:
xBreaking: Court of Special Appeals schedules arguments in Porter appeal for March 4, possibly disrupting schedule of all 6 officers' trials.
— Kevin Rector (@RectorSun) January 12, 2016Porter is appealing an order by Judge Barry G. Williams to compel him to testify in Goodson’s trial, an order that would have held him in contempt if he refused via Fifth Amendment protections. There are also ramifications for Porter’s retrial, set for June.
This is another complication for prosecutors who were likely counting on Porter’s testimony in each of the five cases scheduled consecutively after his, and the decision could push the entire process back. Goodson, who is the only officer of the six to be charged with murder, will already have his trial postponed, as it was set to begin jury selection yesterday. Porter’s status as a witness is important, however, and the mistrial and retrial gave him the avenue for refusing to testify under the Fifth, a refusal that Judge Williams sought to block with his order. However, the Court of Special Appeals will have to settle if that order was legal or not.