FREEHOLD, N.J. — A judge expelled reporters and other spectators from the courtroom and postponed the penalty phase of Rabbi Fred Neulander's capital murder trial Thursday to question jurors about possible interference by the media.

Judge Linda Baxter questioned each juror to determine whether they were tainted by alleged attempts by members of the media to contact them. The judge announced after the questioning that jurors had not been tainted because they had rebuffed requests for interviews.

The panel found Neulander guilty Wednesday of hiring a hit man to kill his wife, Carol Neulander, 52, in 1994. The same jury now must decide whether the former prominent rabbi should be executed.

Baxter said she was "outraged" that members of the press violated a court order not to contact the jurors. "This is an extremely serious matter, one that threatens to undermine the continuation of these proceedings," Baxter said.

The judge said seven of the 16 jurors and alternates had been contacted Wednesday by employees of ABC's "Good Morning America."

A spokesman for the morning news program said members of the show's booking team did not actually speak to the jurors but did leave messages at their homes.

"At Good Morning America we are blessed to have an aggressive booking team but in this case they might have gotten a little ahead of themselves," the spokesman, Jeffrey Schneider, told Courttv.com. He would not speculate on how ABC would respond if the judge pursues legal action against the network.

Journalist Carol Saline was found in contempt of court during the rabbi's first trial.

Last year, Baxter handed out community service and fines to several Philadelphia journalists who violated her court order and attempted to interview jurors after they deadlocked in the rabbi's first murder trial. The penalties were upheld by the New Jersey Supreme Court but appeals are pending in federal court.

Another Philadelphia journalist, Carol Saline, who interviewed the rabbi after the murder, was found to be in contempt of court for contacting a juror during the first trial. She was fined $1,000 and given a 30-day suspended sentence.

Courttv.com reporter Steve Irsay contributed to this report.