Dispatches From The Martha Stewart Trial

Slate’s Guide to the Martha Stewart Trial

Martha on trial

Slate is running a series of dispatches by former securities analyst Henry Blodget about the legal proceedings underway against Martha Stewart. Here is a compilation of our coverage to date.

Read Blodget’s full-disclosure statement about his potential conflicts of interest in covering the Martha Stewart trial.

For background, consult this handy timeline of developments relevant to the case and this itemization of the charges in the indictment.

Current Series: The Postgame

Dispatch No. 1: Martha’s Apology, March 17, 2004

Dispatch No. 2: “The Big Guy” Strikes Back, April 1, 2004

Dispatch No. 3: Stewart Lied, Hartridge “Erred,” April 13, 2004

Disaptch No. 4: The Short Happy Life of Chappell Hartridge, April 15, 2004

Dispatch No. 5: The National Ink Expert Joins Martha and Peter in the Stockade, May 24, 2004

Dispatch No. 6: Banned in Canada, June 11, 2004

Dispatch No. 7: Bring on the Sentencing, July 9, 2004

Dispatch No. 8: Life at the End of the Tunnel, July 16, 2004

Dispatch No. 9: Martha Takes (a) Charge, Sept. 15, 2004



The Defense’s Case, Closing Arguments, Jury Deliberations, and the Verdict

Dispatch No. 1: Dueling Ink Guys, Feb. 23, 2004

Dispatch No. 2: Schachter Blows Up Heidi; Morvillo Rolls the Dice, Feb. 24, 2004

Dispatch No. 3: Bring on the Closing Arguments, Feb. 25, 2004

Dispatch No. 4: Baconovic Behind the Eight Ball, March 1, 2004

Dispatch No. 5: Morvillo’s Stewart (Is Still) Living, March 2, 2004

Dispatch No. 6: Preliminary Verdict of This Jury of One, March 3, 2004

Dispatch No. 7: Hurry Up and Wait, March 4, 2004

Dispatch No. 8: The End, March 5, 2004

The Trial: The Prosecution’s Case

Dispatch No. 1: Back-Room Deals and Heads on Platters, Jan. 26, 2004

Dispatch No. 2: Opening Statements, Jan. 27, 2004

Dispatch No. 3: Faneuil, Interrupted, Jan. 29, 2004

Dispatch No. 4: These Are Prosecution Witnesses? Feb. 2, 2004

Dispatch No. 5: Faneuil to the Rescue, Feb. 4, 2004

Dispatch No. 6: The Star Witness Delivers, Feb. 4, 2004

Dispatch No. 7: Baby Put Appfel in His Place! (Mostly), Feb. 7, 2004

Dispatch No. 8: Morvillo’s Faneuil Solution and Armstrong’s Tears, Feb. 10, 2004

Dispatch No. 9: The “Annie Incident” and the Royal “We”, Feb. 10, 2004

Dispatch No. 10: Reasonable Doubt, Feb. 11, 2004

Dispatch No. 11: A Bad Day for the Government, Feb. 13, 2004

Dispatch No. 12: Killing Them Softly With Phone Calls, Feb. 17, 2004

Dispatch No. 13: Morvillo Hijacks a Government Witness, Feb. 19, 2004

Dispatch No. 14: The Ink Guy and Mariana Pasternak, Feb. 19, 2004

Dispatch No. 15: Mariana Descartes—Of What Can I Be Sure? Feb. 20, 2004







Previously: The Jury Selection Process

Dispatch No. 1: Strike Those Boneheaded Phone Calls, Jan. 7, 2004

Dispatch No. 2: Welcome to Jury Selection, Jan. 23, 2004

Dispatch No. 3: How To Select a Juror, Jan. 23, 2004

Previously: Evaluating the Case Against Martha Stewart

Dispatch No. 1: Going Through the Motions, Nov. 20, 2003



Dispatch No. 2: The Charges Against Martha, Dec. 3, 2003



Dispatch No. 3: The Trade, Dec. 3, 2003



Dispatch No. 4: The Trade, cont’d., Dec. 3, 2003



Dispatch No. 5: The “Cover-Up,” Part 1: The SEC Pounces, Dec. 9, 2003



Dispatch No. 6: The “Cover-Up,” Part 2: Martha (Temporarily) Rewrites History, Dec. 9, 2003



Dispatch No. 7: The “Cover-Up,” Part 3: Martha Stewart Visits the U.S. Attorney, Dec. 9, 2003

Dispatch No. 8: The “Cover-Up,” Part 4: Attorney-Client Miscues? Dec. 10, 2003

Dispatch No. 9: The “Cover-Up,” Part 5: Bacanovic Testifies at the SEC, Dec. 11, 2003

Dispatch No. 10: The “Cover-Up,” Part 6: More Lies From Martha? Dec. 12, 2003

Dispatch No. 11: The Securities Fraud Charge, Dec. 19, 2003

Dispatch No. 12: Anything You Do Say May Be Used Against You … Dec. 22, 2003

Dispatch No. 13: Some Preliminary Conclusions, Dec. 23, 2003





Related articles from the Slate archives:

Contrite Executive Watch, Part 3: Sam Waksal apologizes to everyone but Martha Stewart.—“Moneybox,” Daniel Gross, June 11, 2003

Martha the Oracle: Four years ago, Martha Stewart warned her shareholders what could happen to her. They didn’t listen.—“Moneybox,” Daniel Gross, June 5, 2003

Martha Makes Merry: Stewart’s persistent gilt on Christmas From Martha’s Home.—“Television,” Virginia Heffernan, Dec. 5, 2002

Outsider Trading: How Martha Stewart beat Fidelity.—“Moneybox,” Carol Vinzant, July 10, 2002

It’s Good Enough: Freedom, justice, and Martha Stewart.—“Readme,” Michael Kinsley, July 3, 2002

Does Martha Stewart’s Story Make Sense?—“Moneybox,” Carol Vinzant, June 24, 2002

Subpoena Martha Stewart!—“Moneybox,” James Ledbetter, June 12, 2002

Martha Stewart’s War:—“Idea of the Day,” Inigo Thomas, Oct. 25, 2001

Ad Report Card: Martha unwrapped.—“Moneybox,” Rob Walker, June 18, 2001

Martha Stewart: She’s a good thing.—“Assessment,” David Plotz, Oct. 22, 1999