Detroit (WWJ/AP) -- A judge has ruled that a prosecutor's motion to include more than 200 text messages as evidence in the criminal case against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should be filed under seal.
Judge Ronald Giles of 36th District Court said he needs time to review the documents by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and arguments by lawyers representing Kilpatrick and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty.
Giles extended Thursday afternoon's deadline for the prosecutor's motion to Monday. He said he would issue a decision on July 14.
In ruling that the text messages should be filed under seal, Giles sided with Beatty's attorney, Mayer Morganroth, who had argued that only the judge should be able to see them until he can rule on their admissibility.
Lawyers for Kilpatrick and Beatty told Giles Thursday that the text messages might have been illegally obtained.
Kilpatrick and Beatty face a Sept. 22 preliminary examination on perjury and other charges. They are accused of lying under oath during a whistle-blowers' trial when they denied having an intimate relationship.
They also are accused of lying about their roles in the firing of a police official. Both deny any wrongdoing.
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