The Georgia Court of Appeals has delivered a stern message to the bench and bar, reversing a conviction for sex crimes against a child because the judge closed the courtroom for the testimony of the key witness.
“The Spanish Inquisition and the English Court of Star Chamber shared a common practice: secret trials,” Judge Nels Peterson wrote, joined by Presiding Judge Herbert Phipps and Judge Stephen Dillard on Nov. 3. “To prevent the recurrence of similarly abusive institutions, English common law developed a requirement that trials be public.” That mandate is “firmly established in both the U.S. Constitution and the Georgia Constitution,” Peterson wrote.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
