[JURIST] A judge in Ontario Thursday upheld a publication ban [State Dept. backgrounder] on the bail hearings for 17 men accused of a terror plot in Canada [JURIST report]. The Associated Press, the New York Times, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Toronto Star, and one defense lawyer appealed [JURIST report] an earlier ruling [Bloomberg report] barring the media from the courtroom in a bid to protect the accused's right to a fair trial and isolate eventual jurors from outside news sources. Justice Bruce Durno of the Superior Court of Ontario [official website] said the publication ban on bail hearings will stand because of the often unproven information provided during the hearings, which could eventually prejudice a fair trial. David Kolinksy, the lawyer for suspect Zakaria Amara, supported the ruling, saying that "the right of an accused person to a fair trial is a higher right than freedom of the press."

On Monday, authorities released a third teenage suspect in the plot on bail [JURIST report]. AP has more. The Toronto Star has local coverage.