Judge Orders L.A. Times to Delete Info on Glendale Detective’s Ties to Mexican and Armenian Mafia ~ Unconstitutional? [Updated]

[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] Glendale police detective won a ruling Saturday against the Los Angeles Times to have details of his ties to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian criminals removed from an already published article on the publication’s website.

The case is a fresh test for press freedom in Los Angeles and the L.A. Times said it would appeal the unusual weekend decision on First Amendment grounds.

[UPDATE: Since this story was published on Monday afternoon, the federal judge vacated his own order Tuesday morning, several days after his ruling caused a stir among First Amendment advocates.]

A federal judge granted Glendale detective John Saro Balian’s request for a temporary restraining order after the Times ran a story in one of its zoned community newspapers, The Glendale News-Press, detailing his July 12 guilty plea, where he admitted to “lying to federal investigators about his links to organized crime, accepting a bribe and obstructing justice by tipping off a top criminal target about an upcoming federal raid.”