Defense files for mistrial in Bridgegate trial

NEWARK, N.J. - Defense attorneys for two former aides to Gov. Christie moved for a mistrial Thursday in the George Washington Bridge lane-closure case.

The court filing, on behalf of Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, was almost entirely redacted, so it was unclear what legal issue precipitated the motion.

U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton granted the government's request to seal its reply.

Prosecutors said they made the request because the filing referred "to a matter that was addressed in a sealed courtroom" Wednesday "and because its disclosure would complicate the court's efforts to ensure a fair trial."

An attorney for a consortium of news organizations, including Bloomberg and Gannett, asked the judge to unseal the documents. The news organizations cited the First Amendment and common law as grounds for disclosing the mistrial motions and other documents.

Wigenton did not issue a ruling on the matter.

Jurors deliberated for the fourth day Thursday after six weeks of testimony. They did not ask any questions of the court or return a verdict.

Prosecutors accuse Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, and Baroni, Christie's former top executive appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, of conspiring to cause days of traffic jams near the bridge in 2013 to punish a local mayor for his refusal to endorse the governor's reelection campaign.

Kelly and Baroni are charged with intentionally misusing Port Authority resources, wire fraud, civil rights violations, and related conspiracy counts.

Defense attorneys have argued that the judge's instructions to the jury have fatally compromised a key component of their case: that Kelly and Baroni acted in good faith and had an honest misunderstanding that the September 2013 lane closures at the bridge were part of a legitimate traffic study.

Kelly and Baroni say this misunderstanding stemmed from their conversations with David Wildstein, the confessed architect of the lane-closing scheme and cooperating witness.

Wigenton on Thursday rejected the defense's motion for consideration of the answer she gave to the jury regarding whether it could find Baroni and Kelly guilty of conspiracy without also finding the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that they intentionally punished Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.

Wigenton told jurors they could convict the defendants without finding that Kelly and Baroni were motivated by punishment.

It's unclear whether Thursday's move for a mistrial was related to that issue.

aseidman@phillynews.com

856-779-3846 @AndrewSeidman