Judge Debra Nelson has issued this order setting final deadlines for the immunity hearing and trial of George Zimmerman.

Zimmerman's legal team released this statement saying that it raised $28,000. in the past three weeks and can now retain some experts. It needs much more, and soon, as the deadline for disclosing experts is March 27.

Also today, the judge in the Shellie Zimmerman perjury case denied a motion to dismiss alleging that State's Attorney Angela Corey lacked authority to prosecute the case: [More...]

Update: The bail hearing is continued until tomorrow at 9:00 am (South Africa time). It will be live-streamed to an overflow courtroom for reporters. Prosecutors will provide the defense additional discovery. Both sides want to present more evidence.

Details: After the prosecution finished its argument and the parties debated premeditation, the judge stated he cannot rule out premediation and the bail hearing would proceed as a class six offense of premeditated murder, making the test for bail a showing of exceptional circumstances. But he also said he may change his mind after all the evidence is in and reduce it to a class five offense, which requires a lesser showing that bail is in the interests of justice.

The defense then presented its case. [More...]

Update: New thread with reports from hearing here.)

Oscar Pistorius will have a bail hearing Tuesday (shortly after midnight tonight ET. ) The controlling law is the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA).

Murder can be a class 5 or 6 offense. Premeditated Murder is a Class 6 offense.

Where an accused is been charged with an "extremely serious" schedule six offence, he may be released only if he produces evidence to satisfy the court that exceptional circumstances exist which, in the interests of justice, permit his release

His lawyers will argue he should be charged with the class 5 murder offense, which would make bail easier to obtain. [More....]

Alberto Morales, the violent, schizophrenic inmate who escaped from custody in Grapevine, TX while being transported from Florida to Nevada has been shot and killed by police.

Morales... was spotted in a wooded area where he brandished wooden sticks in an effort to elude police. Before he could attack, he was killed by members of the fugitive task force, said Grapevine police Sgt. Robert Eberling.

At a hearing today, Judge Debra Nelson ordered the clerk to summon 500 prospective jurors for George Zimmerman's trial for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, scheduled for June 10.

The Judge also refused to delay the self-defense immunity hearing, which will begin April 22 and last up to two weeks.

Mark O'Mara said he may ask that the immunity hearing be "enveloped" into the trial. [More...]

The San Bernadino Sheriffs office today denied they intentionally burned down the cabin where Christopher Dorner died.

"We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out," Sheriff John McMahon said at an afternoon news conference.

He said deputies initially fired conventional "cold" tear gas into the cabin in Seven Oaks, near Big Bear Lake, then switched to "pyrotechnic-type" rounds" known as "burners."

Since I was updating live,I was listening to the police scanner feeds (until they went down.) It was confusing since I didn't understand all the terminology, but I did hear the things on this video of the scanner communications. [More...]

Christopher Dorner appears to be dead.
In Grapevine, TX, escaped convict Alberto Morales (story here), is still on the run. [More...]

Update 8:30 pm MT: Manhunt over. A charred body has been removed from the cabin. It is believed to be Dorner. See my update below at 5:17 pm -- the shot referred to on the police scanner was Dormer killing himself.

Update 6:20 pm MT: Reports SWAT team is moving out. No definitive word on whether he is in the cabin, dead or alive. Time for State of the Union.

Update 6:00 pm MT: Great thread of scanner communications. The cabin has collapsed. Reports are that Dorner is not inside. There is no confirmation he has been killed.

Update 5:45 pm: Several reports Dorner is dead. The scanner just went down. Cabin is engulfed in flames. News conference momentarily. [More...]

The video of the hour long hearing in the George Zimmerman case today is here. As multiple news agencies report, the judge denied the defense request for a continuance.

Additional matters that were addressed: Martin family lawyer Benjamin Crump filed a 15 page affidavit about his telephone interview with Witness 8, Trayvon's phone friend who was on the phone with him before the shooting. Crump's lawyer addressed the court, asking that Crump's deposition be postponed until the Court had time to review the Affidavit. [More...]

When Mark O'Mara was interviewed by Fox 35 in Orlando the other day about his motion to continue George Zimmerman's trial, he said (3 min. 30 sec mark) the defense fund was down to $5,000. and he might have to ask that the Court declare George indigent so that the state would pick up some expenses. In the 24 hours after the interview, Zimmerman's attorneys say 160 people have donated $5,200.00. They would like the contributions to keep coming. [More...]

George Zimmerman's attorneys have filed a motion to delay George Zimmerman's trial until November. The motion to continue is here.There is quite a bit of new information in it.

I think the biggest revelation is about Trayvon Martin’s cell phone and mysteriously missing data. Even if you have no interest in the George Zimmerman case, you should read this to see the extent to which information stored in your phone is capable of being retrieved and provided to law enforcement (or anyone else who gets their hands on your phone and wants to know what’s on it.) It's a new dawn in the age of the Tele-Rat. [More....]

Via Wired, Congressmen Darryl Issa and Elijah Cummings have written this letter to the Department of Justice asking for information on the Aaron Swartz prosecution.

Among other things, the letter inquires as to whether the prosecution's decisions were influenced by Aaron's opposition to SOPA or his association with other advocacy groups. It also asks if the investigation uncovered other hacking attempts by Aaron. Why not ask if it was influenced by the FBI's prior investigation into his downloading of PACER documents. In 2009, Aaron posted the FBI documents on the investigation, which he received via an FOIA request.

I'd have more confidence if someone other than Issa was leading this inquiry. But at least someone is asking.