Here is the full text of Superior Court Judge Linda G. Baxter's comments Thursday afternoon after first learning of possible jury tampering:

"A number of the jurors have brought to our attention the fact that a number of news organizations and broadcast media have attempted to contact them and attempted to interview them.

"This is an extremely serious matter, one which threatens to undermine the continuation of these proceedings. It is an outrage, frankly, that the media has so little respect for the rule of law.

"And, therefore, I am invoking my right as a trial judge under State vs. Williams to bar the media from the proceeding I now intend to conduct, where I will speak to each juror individually on the record to find out what has been said to them and whether it compromises their independence or compromises their ability to proceed. Based upon what these jurors tell me and the attorneys and Mr. Neulander, I will take further action at that time.

"The expulsion of the media, and by extension the public, is limited to the proceeding during which I will be interviewing the jurors about this potential taint.

``If there is a continuation to the proceedings thereafter, the media will be let back in.

"And the only reason that the public is being excluded is because I cannot exclude one portion and not another. So under State vs. Williams, this proceeding is closed and unfortunately everybody must leave. I would have preferred to keep other people here, but I cannot do that. So at this time the courtroom is to be cleared."