HLN has been dedicating its coverage for weeks to the Jodi Arias trial. Thursday afternoon however, the channel became part of the trial itself. HLN and In Session correspondent Jean Casarez was called to the stand in the murder case, where she was questioned about her reporting.

“I’m sure you’re as floored as I am that my friend, Jean Casarez is on the stand,” HLN’s Mike Galanos said, adding that he “couldn’t wait” to talk to Casarez about being called up to testify.

At issue was a live report where she was talking about the prosecutor in the case. As HLN reported, the prosecutor, Juan Martinez, has become something of a local celebrity, signing autographs and taking photos with passersby. Casarez said that if a juror were to see Martinez doing this, it could affect their view of him. She was called to the stand to clarify whether she specifically saw a juror at the scene in question, or whether she was referring generally. She said that she did not specifically see a juror.

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The case of Nancy Grace‘s pilfered pendant continues to rock the halls of CNN. On “AC360,” Anderson Cooper talked to Grace about the case of the missing handcuff necklace, first reported on TVNewser yesterday, and put out an APB for its whereabouts.

“The last time my handcuff necklace was admired on the air, I would like to point out that you were present, you, [Jeffrey] Toobin and Mark Geragos,” Grace told Cooper, who asked if she had any suspects. “Don’t try to throw me off the scent, don’t try to throw me off you.”

WATCH:

There’s a mystery brewing at CNN Center in Atlanta and crimefighter Nancy Grace is in the middle of it all. It appears Grace has either lost or someone has stolen her handcuff necklace. You know the one that she’s been wearing prominiently during Jodi Arias trial coverage.

Well this flyer is now circulating throughout the building. This is the same necklace that Anderson Cooper noticed Grace wearing on his show earlier this month. “Are you wearing handcuffs as a necklace?,” Cooper asked. “Yes, I am. Would you like a pair?” Grace responded.

We hope he has an alibi.

As TVNewser has been covering over the last few weeks, the Jodi Arias trial has proved to be a boon for HLN. CNN’s sister network has seen ratings explode during the week, not only topping its older sibling, but MSNBC and Fox News in some dayparts and demos as well. HLN slated a nightly show at 10 PM recapping the day’s events, which has helped fill the gap of TruTV’s In Session, which was cut in the middle of the trial to make way for other programming.

The New York Times‘ Brian Stelter talks to HLN executive VP Scot Safon about what the trail means to the channel.

“We were just responding to the behaviors we were seeing on social media, out in the world, in people’s homes: as a trial unfolds, the people who watch start to become jurors, deliberating with each other all over the place,” Mr. Safon said.

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The obsession with the Jodi Arias trial continues. This week, HLN will premiere “After Dark: The Jodi Arias Trial,” a nightly show with a live studio audience. The program premieres Wednesday and will run Monday-Thursday for the duration of the trial.

The program launch comes on the heels of Turner Broadcasting’s TruTV scaling In Session coverage back to two hours a day, a move which has sparked criticism in the middle of the Arias trial. HLN anchor Vinnie Politan will anchor the show and In Session on TruTV correspondents Jean Casarez and Beth Karas will contribute.

Politan will be joined by HLN’s Nancy Grace, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Ryan Smith and Drew Pinsky, who will weigh the accusations and evidence of the day. The 12-person audience will act as “jurors” and will render a verdict each night.

Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier and HLN anchor Robin Meade put aside their competing loyalties this weekend to pose for a few pictures at the Patrick Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament for St. Jude Kids in Palm Desert, Calif.

TVNewser hears Baier played in the golf tournament and Meade, who calls music her “second platform,” performed on stage with musical acts including Alice Cooper and REM’s Mike Mills. The event raised money for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other deadly diseases.

Here’s one way to guage how the Jodi Arias trial is captivating a sector of cable news viewers. Our anonymous tips box is filling up with comments, questions and theories from trial watchers who A) think we’re HLN, B) that we have a line Arias’ attorney, or C) we’re as captivated as they are. (Okay, maybe we are a little bit). Here’s a sampling from just the last few hours.

• why wouldn’t travis go for the gun instead of body slamming her? i don’t think he had one.

• Why doesn’t the Judge stop Jodi’s Lawyer from smiling and laughing while his client is on the stand?

• She is an abused woman. Where is her dad… what kind of relationship did she have with her father?

• O MY GOD,SHE IS SO VERY GUILTY SHE IS A MONSTER

As Alex wrote earlier, the trial is drawing high ratings for HLN which has spent the most time covering it. More proof: last night, HLN’s 7pm show “Jane Velez Mitchell” beat FNC, MSNBC and CNN in younger viewers and was #2 behind Fox News in total viewers.

While there has been no shortage of newsworthy stories to cover in recent weeks, there is one that is singlehandedly boosting an entire TV network. HLN, which goes all-out to cover prominent court cases (particularly when the accused is an attractive female), has been dedicating most of its daily coverage to the Jodi Arias trial.

The coverage is paying off in the ratings, particularly in the afternoon and early evening.

While the primetime shows, led by Jane Velez-Mitchell and Nancy Grace, are doing very well covering the trial, the biggest surprise may be 4 PM’s “Making It In America,” which has been routinely topping its primetime counterparts in total viewers, and coming close to beating them in the demo. Vinnie Politan is the anchor of “making It.”

Over the last week, “Making It In America” has averaged 732,800 viewers, including 188,000 in the key adults 25-54 demo.  The show  topped CNN and MSNBC’s 4 PM shows in total viewers and the demo, and even topped FNC in the demo a couple of times in the last week.

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It was a mixed bag for HLN during the month of February. The network was flat in Total Day compared to the same month last year. In primetime, HLN declined among Total Viewers but improved among younger viewers.

The ratings for February, 2013 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):

• Primetime (Mon-Sun): 389,000 Total Viewers / 140,000 A25-54
• Total Day (Mon-Sun): 281,000 Total Viewers / 106,000 A25-54

Compared to the same month last year, HLN was down -1% in Total Viewers and flat in the A25-54 demographic in Total Day. (Note: percentages are based on a blend of Live +7 and Live +3 data.) In primetime, HLN was down -8% in Total Viewers and up +3% in the demo. It should be noted that HLN had strong ratings for coverage of Whitney Houston‘s death in February 2012.

HLN’s late afternoon hours showed significant year-over-year growth: “Making it in America” at 4pmET was up +111% in Total Viewers and +115% in the A25-54 demographic, while “Evening Express” was up +88% and +123% at 5pmET and +55% and +78% at 6pmET, respectively.

The network had ups and downs in primetime: Jane Velez-Mitchell‘s 7pmET program was up +12% in Total Viewers and +25% among younger viewers, while Nancy Grace‘s 8pmET program was down across the board, -16% in Total Viewers and -14% in the A25-54 demographic. The 9pmET hour, which is home to Dr. Drew Pinsky‘s show and ABC’s “What Would You Do?,” is down -7% in Total Viewers but up +15% in the demographic.

HLN was up the most of the four cable news networks compared to last month: the network grew +26% in Total Viewers and +15% in the demographic in Total Day, and +24% and +18%, respectively, in primetime.

Turner Broadcasting’s truTV is cutting back on In Session, the channel’s daytime court news coverage, according to a spokesperson for the channel. Instead of airing live for six hours each weekday, In Session will now air for only two, and in a new format.

In Session currently airs from 9AM-3PM every weekday, but will shift to 9AM-11AM on March 4th. In Session anchor Vinnie Politan will anchor the new two-hour format. A handful of production positions have been eliminated.

In place of In Session, truTV will air replays of its primetime programs, along with acquired programming. The new lineup “is designed to provide a better flow into truTV’s early fringe and primetime lineup,” according to the spokesperson.

In Session is the last vestige of Court TV, which truTV replaced in 2008. In 2009 In Session shifted its production from New York to Atlanta, with HLN taking over programming responsibility for the block.