NCJ Number
93147
Date Published
1981
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The relationship between the court and the public is actually a series of relationships, since judges have different relationships with the various interest groups which come to court, with groups which do not come to court, and with the news media.
Abstract
These interest groups include attorneys, parties to lawsuits, witnesses, jurors, court attaches, and court observers. Groups which do not come to court but which have strong opinions about the courts include minorities which think courts oppress them, those who think that courts are 'soft on crime,' business people, labor leaders, and others. Judges are concerned about public opinion. The impressions conveyed by the building, the court staff, the printed materials given to jurors and others, ceremonies to which the public is invited, and speakers representing the court all influence the opinions of the several publics. The news media constitute the most important public with which courts deal, since they create images and reach so many people. The need for a free press and for independent courts providing fair trials produces a relationship between the news media and the courts which has major implications for both entities. Judges are permitted to prevent some kinds of publicity before trial which could prevent a fair trial. However, the United States Supreme Court has held that the First and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee the right of the public and the press to attend criminal trials. Although the Federal courts and a declining number of States do not permit cameras in the courtroom, the Supreme Court decision in Chandler v. Florida in 1981 held that no constitutional rule is involved. Courts and those who report on their proceedings need better understanding of their respective roles. An annotated bibliography lists 43 sources.