By Alabama Public Radio
Huntsville, AL – A hearing will be held in Huntsville Tuesday. A federal judge will consider whether to let prosecutors present certain scientific evidence in the federal death penalty trial of Eric Rudolph. Preliminary jury selection in Rudolph's trial is set for April. Opening statements could begin in early June. He's accused of bombing a Birmingham abortion clinic in 1998. Prosecutors want to show jurors that Rudolph had ties to a Tennessee church that was led by an anti-abortion activist. They have filed court papers saying his association with anti-abortion activists will help the jury understand the reasons behind the fatal abortion clinic bombing. The defense objects to the evidence as irrelevant and as a violation of Rudolph's First Amendment rights. Prosecutors also suggest Rudolph could have financed the bombing from the sale of marijuana grown around his home in North Carolina.