Abu-Jamal, a well-known Black journalist and activist, was railroaded to prison in 1982, accused of killing of Philadelphia policeman Daniel Faulkner. Protests around the world have demanded that he be granted a new trial where he could make the case for his freedom.

U.S. District Judge William Yohn Jr. will decide whether to narrowly restrict hearings to newly discovered evidence or violations of a newly defined constitutional right. But Yohn also raised the possibility that he might clear the way for Abu-Jamal to testify, which he has never done. "I can tell you this: We would like to see Mumia testify before this judge from that witness stand," said Weinglass after the hearing.

Also on October 26, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that 150 protesters greeted Ridge in Beverly Hills, California, where he spoke to a conservative group. "Stop Tom Ridge Before He Kills Again," their signs said, and they chanted, "No justice, no peace, till Mumia is released." Two protesters inside the meeting — who were removed by cops and arrested — forced Ridge to address the issue of Abu-Jamal's case.  
 
 
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