Geragos, joined by the American Civil Liberties Union, has contended that federal authorities -- influenced by Whitewater Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr -- were illegally holding McDougal in Los Angeles County jail as punishment for refusing to testify in the Whitewater investigation.
Howard County Circuit Judge Diane Leasure ruled Tuesday that Tripp's immunity deal with Starr was not approved by a federal judge until a month after the agreement was reached, in February 1998, and did not cover the playing of the tapes for Newsweek earlier in January.