The FBI is investigating the surreptitious taping of Michael Jackson and his lawyer aboard the rental plane that flew them to Santa Barbara for Jackson's surrender to authorities last week.

As federal authorities began investigating the taping incident aboard the charter jet, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe issued a restraining order prohibiting XtraJet, the airline Geragos said placed the cameras aboard the plane, from releasing the tapes until a hearing in December on a permanent injunction, according to a statement from Jackson spokesman Stuart Backerman.

Geragos has also filed a civil suit against the company. From Geragos' statement at a press conference yesterday:

"The videotaping of my client conferring with me was illegal and outrageous, as was the aircraft company's attempt to sell that tape for profit," Geragos said. "We will be absolutely relentless in our pursuit of any and all extortionists, regardless of how they try to gift wrap their lies in the cloak of justice. Michael is not going to be a piñata for every money-hungry publicity seeker to strike in the hopes of hitting it rich."

Cal Pen Code § 631 prohibits taping and disclosure of the communication unless both parties to the conversation consent. A Violation carries up to a year in the county jail and a fine. Federal law prohibits taping and disclosure of the communication unless one party consents. At least one media outlet reports viewing the video when the plane company tried to peddle it to them.

Other details emerging: Larry Feldman, the lawyer who represented Jackson's 1993 civil accuser, began representing the mother last March. It was Feldman's suggestion the boy see a therapist.

An attorney who a decade ago secured a settlement of at least $15 million for a 13-year-old boy who alleged that he was molested by the singer is involved in the current case, sources close to the investigation said.

Those sources said the mother of the boy that Jackson is alleged to have molested last winter approached Los Angeles attorney Larry Feldman in March after she became concerned that the singer had been giving wine to her cancer-stricken son, who had first asked to meet his idol.

At that point she was not aware of any alleged molestation, the source said. But as the boy told of his friendship with Jackson in bits and pieces, Feldman concluded that the boy needed to talk to a therapist, who in June reported alleged sexual abuse by Jackson to police, the source said.

We'll be discussing the case tonight on MSNBC's Abrams Report at 9 pm ET (repeats at 11 pm.)

Update: More details about the family of the accuser:

With the holiday just around the corner, lots of bloggers, ourselves included, will be posting light. Here are some good reads we've found:

Arthur of The Light of Reason is back blogging. We don't know if the LA transit strike ended, or Arthur got a car, or what, but we're glad he's back. We found out from Avedon Carol at Sideshow who has a great post on maher arar, conservative media and puritanical mores all wrapped into one.

Lisa English of Ruminate This is back with an insightful post about Medicare and the AARP.

Jay and Jane at the Daily Rant will be moving to www.classlesswarfare.com.

Pacific Views has a wrap at Tuesday Blogging.

Dave Neiwert of Orcinus explains why the political fight has become personal to him. What a superb writer he is.

We'll be back later today.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has placed one of his staffers on leave for accessing Democratic files.

"I was shocked to learn that this may have occurred," Hatch said in a statement. "I am mortified that this improper, unethical and simply unacceptable breach of confidential files may have occurred on my watch."

The Pentagon agreed to withdraw the death penalty as an option for Australian David Hicks at his upcoming military tribunal trial. Other concessions were made as well.

U.S. and Australian officials announced yesterday that two Australians held at the jail will not face the death penalty if they are convicted before a U.S. tribunal or commission. The Pentagon agreed in July that two British prisoners at Guantanamo Bay who have been designated as possible defendants would not be executed if convicted.

Military officials said last night the concessions granted to the British and Australian detainees may not apply to other countries' citizens brought before the tribunals. But international lawyers said it would be difficult politically for Washington to execute other nations' citizens if it ruled out that possibility for these two allies' nationals.

Among the other concessions:

If Hicks is charged, he could talk by telephone with "appropriately cleared" family members, who also could attend the trial. Prosecutors will not bar him from the courtroom even during presentation of sensitive evidence. Military officials will not monitor conversations between him and his attorneys, and if convicted he could serve his sentence in Australia.

The military goofs again.....Guantanamo Chaplain Captain James Yee is freed, the espionage charges against him are dropped and now he faces new charges of adultery.

We've got court, conferences and more to tend to the rest of the day....before the grocery store and then the airport to retrieve our home-bound son. So, have at it, talk about what you want to, but please, play nice.

Author Sara Paretsky, who writes the popular V.I. Warshawski series, is afraid of the Patriot Act. So her new novel, Blacklist, has the heroine coming smack up against it. Good for Ms. Paretsky, what a great way to get a message out. Here's an interview with Ms. Paretsky in which she describes how the book came about. [link via Hamster.]

From Amazon:

Privilege, politics, and perfidy jointly propel the circuitous plot of Blacklist, Sara Paretsky's 11th novel featuring tenacious Chicago private-eye V.I. Warshawski. By the time this story runs its course, V.I. will have harbored an alleged Arab terrorist, resurrected the ghosts of America's 1950s anti-Communist hysteria, and questioned the integrity of a man she once admired "to the point of hero worship." In other words, it's a typical case for this hard-headed, sarcastic, and perpetually sleep-deprived sleuth.

James Goodno examines the San Francisco mayor's race between Democrat Gavin Newsom and Green Party candidate Matt Gonzales in At Bay.

So, liberal and progressive Democrats hold the key to what could be a competitive race. Gonzalez needs to get people who supported other left-leaning candidates in November to the polls -- and to capture an overwhelming majority of their votes. Newsom recognizes this, and both candidates are working overtime to corral support from unions, gay and lesbian organizations, liberal elected officials and progressive voters. They've each had some success.

This is the pivotal point to us:

Unlike Gonzalez, a former public defender, Newsom has not been a leader on social-justice issues.

This is another important distinction:

A look at the ballot initiatives the two leaders have supported further illuminates the differences between them. Newsom has ridden a pair of Rudolph Giuliani-esque proposals on homelessness to prominence. One would replace the relatively high cash payments certain homeless people receive with a package of services and much smaller cash disbursements. The second initiative would place tough restrictions on "aggressive panhandling." For his part, Gonzalez authored and campaigned for a ballot measure increasing the minimum wage in San Francisco.

Here's our last update on this race.

Nathan Newman watched an episode of The Practice, which has undergone a shift in cast and tone, and writes, " Dirty Harry for the Defense."

We don't think there is an increase in defense lawyers breaking rules to achieve justice in real life. It's a television show, folks. But Nathan writes a fun op-ed --we're going to tune in next time and watch for ourselves.

In a case of Abner Louima redux, a counselor at the nation's largest residential treatment center for troubled youths is being held on charges of sodomizing a juvenile resident with a broomstick:

Sometime between 9 and 10 p.m., the authorities said, the victim, a resident of Wolfe Cottage, one of 22 residences on campus, was chased and cornered in a shower room by 16-year-old Elliot Perryman, who sodomized him with a broomstick while Jason Brown, 29, an assistant cottage supervisor, held him down. It was unclear what prompted the attack, the police said.

The victim reported the assault to the staff on Friday and was treated at a campus infirmary and at St. Joseph's Hospital in Yonkers. The two suspects were arrested then and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual abuse, a felony carrying prison terms of up to 25 years. They are being held in the Westchester County Jail on $50,000 bail each for a hearing on Dec. 4.

....At Children's Village, a nationally known treatment center whose broad lawns and rolling hills offer sanctuary to hundreds of emotionally scarred children and youths, a small army of social workers, psychiatrists, teachers and counselors have sought in recent days to help the residents deal with the devastating allegations.

But there were no answers to the most troubling questions: How could a case of sodomy have occurred in an institution that prides itself as a sanctuary for troubled children? If true, why had it happened? And how could a counselor have taken part in such a thing? Ms. Stutz said it was useless to speculate, pending a full police investigation.

[comments now closed]

Say hello to Southern Exposure, a new group weblog on latin american affairs. One of the contributors is Randy Paul, author of the excellent blog on the same topic, Beautiful Horizons.[link via Calpundit]

The California Senate today voted to repeal the law allowing undocumented residents to obtain drivers' licenses. The Assembly is expected to vote the same tomorrow.

At least 17 senators who voted for the bill in September voted Monday to repeal it, while six others abstained from voting. The law's prospects collapsed in the face of a threatened initiative to repeal it, and the clout of Schwarzenegger, who called the Legislature into special session to overturn the law within hours of his taking office last week.

Schwarzenegger, who campaigned against the law signed by former Gov. Gray Davis, wants a compromise version that includes more safeguards and background checks on applicants.

We support drivers licenses for undocumented residents. This bill has always been our main point of contention with Gov. Arnold. Hopefully, the compromise version will not just give lip service to the program--but we're skeptical, since we are under the impression that the bill that passed required applicants to pass all driving tests, undergo criminal background checks, be in the process of applying for legal residency and have proof that they were employed and had lived in California for at least 15 months in the last three years. We think that's compromise a plenty and can't figure out what more could be needed.