NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Supreme Court said Tuesday that, for now, a suspect in the Madison Brooks rape case cannot explore the dead woman's purported sexual history as he puts on a defense.

In a unanimous decision, the justices upheld a lower court decision against defendant Desmond Carter last March.

"The fundamental right to present a defense does not require the trial court to admit irrelevant evidence or evidence with such little probative value that it is substantially outweighed by other legitimate considerations," the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal wrote then in a 2-1 decision.

The 1st Circuit had also noted that the trial judge hadn't yet decided whether to let lawyers explore another potential source of Brooks' injuries. A victim's previous sexual history is generally off-li

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