A recent court decision allowing the Michael Jackson case to stand as a precedent on secrecy could shut off public access to information in high-profile cases, some legal experts say.
In a one-sentence decision Wednesday [Jul. 27], the California Supreme Court denied a request by news organizations, including The Associated Press, to "depublish" the ruling - meaning it will stay on the legal books and can be used by judges and lawyers on the issue of sealing documents in other cases. The ruling was made available Friday.
"It is a very dangerous precedent because it gives the court an opportunity to close out the public from critical information during a high-publicity trial," said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson. "This formalizes the celebrity exception to the First Amendment."
The published opinion of the 2nd District is People v. Michael Jackson, No. B176587. The story quoted above is here from the AP via LexisOne.com.