At today's court hearing, from which Mumia Abu-Jamal was excluded at the last minute, Judge Pamela Dembe postponed any action on Mumia's request for a new Post Conviction Relief Act hearing in Pennsylvania courts.

Judge Dembe did accept Mumia's new lawyers to represent him, but said she wanted to hear more arguments on the prosecution's claim that the deadline had passed for the admission of a confession by Arnold Beverly. Beverly states that he was the actual killer of Officer Daniel Faulkner. Dembe gave Mumia's lawyers three weeks to submit an argument on why Mumia's petition is still timely, and she gave the prosecution two weeks to respond. After that, the judge will rule on whether to proceed or to dismiss Mumia's petition.

In the court room to observe the proceedings, were well known figures Ossie Davis, Jessie Jackson, Sonia Sanchez, Dick Gregory, and a number of observers from Europe.

Outside, a spirited demonstration of 1500 people demanded to know how there could be a statute of limitations on confessions when there is no statute of limitations on murder. As Ramona Africa said to the crowd, "We're not interested to what's legal we're interested in what's right!"