Jodi Arias trial update today hln: Secrecy has replaced transparency at the Jodi Arias trial in Maricopa County Court in Phoenix.  The Jodi Arias trial hypnotized America for five months as the nation sat riveted to the murder trial as it was broadcast live on TV.

Because of the intense media scrutiny, Jodi Arias Judge Sherry Stephens ordered a blackout. First Amendment lawyers say this is an overreaction.

Attorney David Bodney said "The trial court has gone from transparency to blackout and bewilderment. There have been repeated flagrant violations of the public's constitutional right to attend proceedings." Bodney represents several media outlets who are fighting for transparency in the Jodi Arias case, including the Arizona Republic.

In May, Joe Arias was convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. The jury couldn't decide whether to sentence Arias to life in prison or to death. The prosecution team is pursuing the death sentence through a second penalty phase. A new jury will be selected for the Jodi Arias retrial. There has been no date set for the new trial.

Ex-waitress and budding photographer Jodi Arias admitted she killed Alexander in 2008 at his home in Phoenix. Arias claimed it was self-defense. She said Travis Alexander was abusive and was subject to fits of rage. Arias stabbed Alexander 28 times, slit his throat and shot him in the forehead. Prosecutors say Arias acted in a jealous rage.

The next phase of the trial has happened in secret as Judge Stephens holds hearings behind closed doors. The Jodi Arias judge has heard arguments over sequestering the new jury and moving the case out of Phoenix. Jodi Arias went to the court for permission to fire her lead attorney. The judge barred live television coverage of the retrial. All outside of the view of the media.

The Jodi Arias trial has cost over $1.7 million. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery refused to issue a tally the case costs.

Bodney says the judge's secrecy ruling violate the Constitution. Bodney said "The public is deprived of its First Amendment right to attend criminal proceedings. The public has a right to be heard before they're just locked out."

Bodney says the judge's decision to ban live television coverage and all electronic devices is a "severe overcorrection" that will "deprive the public a lens into the concluding chapter of this trial."