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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, Nelda Blair
Aired November 22, 2003 - 08:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Let us get some expert legal opinions on this week's hot legal issue. And that's, of course, Michael Jackson accused of child molestation.
In Miami, civil rights attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff is president of the Miami chapter of the ACLU.
And in Houston, Attorney Nelda Blair is a former Texas prosecutor.
Thank you both for being with us.
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Good morning.
NELDA BLAIR, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Thank you for having us.
SAVIDGE: All right, you're welcome.
And let's get on with the question I think a lot of us have had is what happens to Michael's children now that he has been accused and charged?
Where do you think this stands as far as the two? Either one of you.
Nelda?
BLAIR: Well, you know, Gloria Allred, of course, has already stepped in and filed some type of motion to have a hearing on to have his children taken away from him during the pendency of these charges. And certainly that could happen. Granted, Michael is innocent until proven guilty, as everyone is who's charged with a crime. But if the authorities feel that those children are endangered in the meantime, then they will be placed elsewhere, most likely with a family member. But certainly it's something that the authorities will have to consider because they have to be kept safe.
SAVIDGE: Lida, this is something you would think they had already considered before Gloria Allred stepped forward.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, absolutely you would think so. But one of the things that, remember, here is the fact that most people who are charged with crimes have their children during the pendency of the criminal case and they're not taken away, regardless of what the charges are, because, as Nelda said, people are innocent until proven guilty. So, you know, there is that issue. And I think at this point that unless the government can really make a showing, which is essentially the same showing that they're going to have to make in the criminal case of Michael Jackson, if they -- unless they can make a showing that these kids are in danger, are in immediate danger, then they're going to remain.
And I think the big question to all of us has to be how about the other child, the child that was allegedly molested and why were those parents allowing their child to stay at Michael Jackson's home? Because there are a lot of parents involved here and some would say that there's an issue as to the competency of those parents that allowed their child to be exposed to this man.
SAVIDGE: OK, we're going to run out of time quickly due to breaking news.
But, Nelda, I want to ask, what happens next? I mean what do you think is going to transpire? Do we wait to January 9 for the date?
BLAIR: Well, the D.A. still has to file charges. They actually haven't even filed charges yet, which is really pretty unusual in this huge investigation, the arrest, the bail. But charges have not yet been filed. Normally, that's not the way prosecutions are handled. So the D.A. says that right after Thanksgiving he will be filing charges and, of course, then the hearing.
I've got to say, as a former prosecutor, I hope Mr. Sneddon knows what he's doing because I want us all to look good. So far, it looks like he may be trying to follow a vendetta that's been going on for 10 years and I hope he's got some really hard evidence against Jackson because that limelight is going to scoop him in, as well.
SAVIDGE: Lida, you get the final say on this one.
Where do you think it stands?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: I can't believe I would agree with Nelda this early in the morning. She's absolutely right. She's absolutely right. So far it's looked a little bit like a circus, a little bit like a vendetta and he's going to have to clean up his act if he wants these charges to stick.
SAVIDGE: All right, well, I'm glad that there can be some positive that comes out of this rather negative story.
Lida, thank you very much for joining us.
And we also want to say thank you very much to Nelda Blair.
BLAIR: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: Lida is with the ACLU in Miami and Nelda Blair is a former Texas prosecutor.
Good morning to both of you. Thanks for being with us.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 22, 2003 - 08:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Let us get some expert legal opinions on this week's hot legal issue. And that's, of course, Michael Jackson accused of child molestation.
In Miami, civil rights attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff is president of the Miami chapter of the ACLU.
And in Houston, Attorney Nelda Blair is a former Texas prosecutor.
Thank you both for being with us.
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Good morning.
NELDA BLAIR, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Thank you for having us.
SAVIDGE: All right, you're welcome.
And let's get on with the question I think a lot of us have had is what happens to Michael's children now that he has been accused and charged?
Where do you think this stands as far as the two? Either one of you.
Nelda?
BLAIR: Well, you know, Gloria Allred, of course, has already stepped in and filed some type of motion to have a hearing on to have his children taken away from him during the pendency of these charges. And certainly that could happen. Granted, Michael is innocent until proven guilty, as everyone is who's charged with a crime. But if the authorities feel that those children are endangered in the meantime, then they will be placed elsewhere, most likely with a family member. But certainly it's something that the authorities will have to consider because they have to be kept safe.
SAVIDGE: Lida, this is something you would think they had already considered before Gloria Allred stepped forward.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, absolutely you would think so. But one of the things that, remember, here is the fact that most people who are charged with crimes have their children during the pendency of the criminal case and they're not taken away, regardless of what the charges are, because, as Nelda said, people are innocent until proven guilty. So, you know, there is that issue. And I think at this point that unless the government can really make a showing, which is essentially the same showing that they're going to have to make in the criminal case of Michael Jackson, if they -- unless they can make a showing that these kids are in danger, are in immediate danger, then they're going to remain.
And I think the big question to all of us has to be how about the other child, the child that was allegedly molested and why were those parents allowing their child to stay at Michael Jackson's home? Because there are a lot of parents involved here and some would say that there's an issue as to the competency of those parents that allowed their child to be exposed to this man.
SAVIDGE: OK, we're going to run out of time quickly due to breaking news.
But, Nelda, I want to ask, what happens next? I mean what do you think is going to transpire? Do we wait to January 9 for the date?
BLAIR: Well, the D.A. still has to file charges. They actually haven't even filed charges yet, which is really pretty unusual in this huge investigation, the arrest, the bail. But charges have not yet been filed. Normally, that's not the way prosecutions are handled. So the D.A. says that right after Thanksgiving he will be filing charges and, of course, then the hearing.
I've got to say, as a former prosecutor, I hope Mr. Sneddon knows what he's doing because I want us all to look good. So far, it looks like he may be trying to follow a vendetta that's been going on for 10 years and I hope he's got some really hard evidence against Jackson because that limelight is going to scoop him in, as well.
SAVIDGE: Lida, you get the final say on this one.
Where do you think it stands?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: I can't believe I would agree with Nelda this early in the morning. She's absolutely right. She's absolutely right. So far it's looked a little bit like a circus, a little bit like a vendetta and he's going to have to clean up his act if he wants these charges to stick.
SAVIDGE: All right, well, I'm glad that there can be some positive that comes out of this rather negative story.
Lida, thank you very much for joining us.
And we also want to say thank you very much to Nelda Blair.
BLAIR: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: Lida is with the ACLU in Miami and Nelda Blair is a former Texas prosecutor.
Good morning to both of you. Thanks for being with us.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
