US judge declares mistrial in Clemens case

WASHINGTON - The judge in former baseball star Roger Clemens' perjury trial declared a mistrial on Thursday after ruling that prosecutors violated his orders regarding the handling of evidence.

US District Judge Reggie Walton said he made the decision because Clemens could not be assured a fair trial when prosecutors blundered by going against his orders and showing inadmissible evidence to jurors on just the second day of testimony.

"There are rules that we play by and those rules are designed to make sure both sides receive a fair trial," Walton said.