Critics slam Jackson trial secrecy ruling

The court denied a request by news organisations 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, reports FindLaw. ‘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 law Professor Laurie Levenson. A three-member panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled in April that the judge in Jackson\'s child molestation trial had been justified in sealing dozens of court records. The judge has said releasing the documents could have prejudiced the jury pool. He said he was protecting the fair trial right of the pop superstar who was acquitted of all charges in June. Full report in FindLaw