BATON ROUGE — Spectators could be banned from wearing pink in support of Madison Brooks as the first suspect in the rape case is set to go before a jury in the coming weeks.

Desmond Carter, 21, is one of three suspects accused of raping Madison Brooks in a vehicle before her death. He currently faces charges of first-degree and third-degree rape. 

In June, Carter's defense team put forward a motion to prohibit prejudicial or intimidating spectator displays during the trial.

The defense claims that Brooks' family and friends have routinely worn pink in support of Brooks, as well as paraphernalia from a non-profit organization created by Brooks' mother in an attempt to intimidate the jury. 

The team cited the 1966 case Sheppard v. Maxwell, where the Supreme Court held that a defendant's right to a fair trial was violated by the "carnival atmosphere" in the courtroom. They also cited the 1965 case of Estes v. State of Texas, where it was decided that the presence of television cameras in the courtroom deprived the defendant of his due process rights. 

Carter's defense claimed that Brooks' family and friends have consistently demonstrated their intent to bring the case in which the State seeks to convict Carter to die in prison into the court of public opinion and influence jurors. 

The defense also cited several social media posts of family and friends asking people to attend court sessions wearing the color pink in support of Brooks.

The trial for Desmond Carter is set to go before Judge Gail Ray on Aug. 17.