SALT LAKE CITY?A federal magistrate has ruled that attorneys in Salt Lake’s newspaper battle may question Mormon church leader Thomas S. Monson, but may not depose the other two members of the church’s First Presidency?its highest body.

The Tribune’s management group has wanted to question the Latter-day Saint church leaders about what role, if any, they had in AT&T Corp.’s sale of The Tribune to Denver based MediaNews Group Inc.

The judge also said selected documents detailing meetings between the First Presidency and Deseret News Publishing Co. will have to be turned over.