The popular “Serial” podcast relied in part on Baltimore courtroom audio from the trial of Adnan Syed to help raise questions about and bring attention to his case.

But if the courts had their way, the podcast's millions of listeners wouldn't have heard any of Syed's original trial. Officials disclosed last week that they even considered holding the producers in contempt.

Maryland law prohibits the broadcasting of any criminal case, and court officials this year reached out to producer Sarah Koenig about how the tapes ended up in the podcast.

Koenig said she received incorrect legal advice about the state's rules on courtroom audio, which the court accepted after Koenig agreed she would not broadcast court proceedings in the future.

—Justin Fenton