Justice Department Ordered Judge To Turn Over Katrina Documents

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to turn over any documents that show they tried to determine whether somebody leaked confidential information about its probe of deadly police shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina.

Attorneys for five former police officers convicted of charges stemming from the shootings claim prosecutors ignored a different judge's call for an investigation after news reports forecast a guilty plea by former Lt. Michael Lohman, who cooperated with federal investigators.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt set a Tuesday deadline for prosecutors to give him any records related to a probe of the alleged leaks.

Engelhardt scheduled a hearing Wednesday on defense attorneys' claims that a "secret public relations campaign" by federal authorities deprived the convicted officers of a fair trial.