Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with murdering 17 year old Laquan McDonald in October 2014. The Chicago Police Department’s disclosure of Van Dyke’s dashboard camera video of the incident drew significant public attention to the case and eventually prompted the recent United States Department of Justice inquiry into McDonald’s death and Chicago Police Department practices. Veteran criminal court Judge Vincent Gaughan is presiding over the case, and has a long history of conducting off-the-record discussions with attorneys in high profile criminal trials.  Steve Mandell was quoted in an article about the secrecy in the courtroom, noting that “efficiency and expediency is not an adequate basis to hold hearings outside the eye of the public.”  READ MORE