The trial of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, is getting underway. James Joyner of Outside The Beltway is liveblogging the procedings.

The first major news occured during the jury instructions when the judge informed the jurrors that (Quoting Joyner), “Valerie Plame’s actual status with the CIA or the degree to which any revelations made by Scooter Libby put her in danger are totally irrelevant to the facts of this case.”

UPDATE: James has started a new post for the government’s opening argument.

And another post for the defense opening.