Source: http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/470/470mass484.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 02:01:39+00:00

Document:
Constitutional Law, Jury, Public right, Access to court proceedings. Jury and Jurors. Practice, Criminal, Jury and jurors, Record. Impoundment. Supreme Judicial Court, Superintendence of inferior courts.
This court concluded that the public's long-term interest in maintaining an open judicial process, as embodied in the United States Constitution and Massachusetts common law, required that a list identifying the names of jurors who have been empanelled and rendered a verdict in a criminal case be retained in the court file of the case and be made available to the public in the same manner as other court records; further, this court concluded that only on a judicial finding of good cause, which may include a risk of harm to the jurors or to the integrity of their service, may such a list be withheld. [486-491] GANTS, C.J., concurring in part and dissenting in part.
INDICTMENTS found and returned in the Superior Court Department on August 4, 2011.
Following entry of an order on a posttrial motion for access to the jury list by Peter M. Lauriat, J., review of the order was sought by a nonparty from a single justice of the Appeals Court.
The matter was reported to a panel of the Appeals Court by Mark V. Green, J. The Supreme Judicial Court on its own initiative transferred the case from the Appeals Court.
Jonathan M. Albano for Globe Newspaper Company, Inc.
Eva M. Badway, Assistant Attorney General, for the Attorney General, intervener.
assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon. The trial began on February 11, 2013. On March 1, while the trial was ongoing, the Globe filed its motion to obtain the names and addresses of the jurors immediately following entry of the verdict, for the purpose of ascertaining their willingness to discuss the trial. [Note 2] On March 7, 2013, the jury returned verdicts of guilty. Seven days later, the trial judge held a hearing on the Globe's motion. On March 26, he ruled that he would send letters to the jury asking if they were "amenable" to speaking to the press, and would permit disclosure only of the names and addresses of those jurors who responded affirmatively to his letter. On April 16, 2013, presumably at the judge's direction, the Superior Court clerk's office provided the Globe with the names and addresses of two jurors willing to speak to the press, along with instructions that the Globe was to "use this information only for the purpose stated in [its] motion" and "not to disseminate this juror information to other news agencies or third persons."
The Globe filed a petition for relief from the judge's ruling with a single justice of the Appeals Court pursuant to G. L. c. 231, § 118. The single justice initially denied the petition, but on reconsideration reported it to a panel of the Appeals Court. [Note 3] We transferred the petitioner's appeal to this court on our own motion.
month in every court, containing the "name, address and date of birth of each juror," are public records "available upon request for inspection by parties, counsel, their agents, and members of the public." G. L. c. 234A, § 67. Under Federal jurisprudence, there is also a constitutional right of public access to court proceedings, including juror empanelment proceedings. See Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court, 464 U.S. 501, 507-510 (1984); Commonwealth v. Cohen (No. 1), 456 Mass. 94 , 106-107 (2010). This right is grounded in both fair trial and First Amendment principles. Cohen (No. 1), supra at 106. In addition, in Massachusetts, we have "long recognized a common-law right of public access to judicial records." Republican Co. v. Appeals Court, 442 Mass. 218 , 222 (2004). Together, these rights are intended to ensure and instill public confidence and trust in our system of justice, and in the integrity and fairness of its proceedings.
Whether or not the names of the sitting jurors publicly emerge during the empanelment process, there is little doubt that court officials assemble a tangible list of their identities for use during the trial. Historically, these "juror lists" have been included and can be found in the court files of closed cases that proceeded to trial. See Hindus, Hammett, & Hobson, Massachusetts Superior Court Files, 1859-1959 (1980) (finding that such files "usually include a list of jurors"). See also C. Menand, A Guide to the Suffolk County Inferior Court of Common Pleas 13 (1981) ("Juror lists appear regularly among the papers after 1797 and are filed . . . at the beginning of the case file papers for each term").
of including such a list in the court files of criminal cases, [Note 13] and has also identified examples of juror lists readily available in Superior Court files of recent high-profile criminal trials, usually in the form of "Daily Reports of Juror Attendance." [Note 14] Based on the findings of the judge in this case, it is apparent that there is inconsistency in the current practice of retaining juror lists, a matter of significant public and systemic importance.
construed in favor of the general principle of publicity" (quotation and citation omitted). Id. Access to information about the operation of the administration of justice, including information about jurors who render justice, promotes confidence in the judicial system by, among other things, providing an independent nongovernmental verification of the impartiality of the jury process, and educating the public as to their duties and obligations should they be called for jury service. The burden falls on the party seeking to limit or bar access to judicial records to overcome the presumption that the records ought to be accessible to the public. Id. at 225.
there is no public right to know the identities of jurors or that the privacy interests of jurors alone trump the public right of access to judicial records that disclose their identities, see Commonwealth v. Silva, 448 Mass. 701 , 709 n.14 (2007), we have historically concluded otherwise. "[T]he prospect of criminal justice being routinely meted out by unknown persons does not comport with democratic values of accountability and openness." In re Globe Newspaper Co., supra at 98.
from that transcript. See Commonwealth v. Winfield, 464 Mass. 672 , 675 (2013) ("right of access to court trials [under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution] includes the right to purchase a transcript of the court proceeding that was open to the public"). But the Globe did not choose to exercise that right; instead, it asked the court to create a document that was not part of the case file, listing the names and addresses of the jurors, and provide that newly created document to the Globe. I do not agree with the court that, following the verdict, a list of the jurors' names must be created and made a part of the court file, available to any member of the public on request unless the list is ordered impounded based on a showing of good cause.
In its opinion, the court recognizes that several jury lists were created in this case: (1) the "jury [e]mpanelment sheet" that identifies the jurors who were sent to the court room for empanelment, and who were sworn, excused, or not reached; this document was returned to the jury pool office after the jury were selected; (2) the "Daily Report of Juror Attendance," which was used by the session clerk to record daily juror attendance and was returned to the jury pool office each day; (3) the list prepared by the court officers of the empanelled jurors' names and telephone numbers, so that they could be contacted during the course of the trial; this list was destroyed after trial; and (4) the confidential juror questionnaires completed by the empanelled jurors, which are not public records, G. L. c. 234A, § 23, and which "were appropriately destroyed after the trial." Ante at note 12. The court does not suggest that any of these documents should have been placed in the court file or that it is the current practice of all courts to do so. Rather, the court notes that "there is inconsistency in the current practice of retaining juror lists" and that it was "the prior practice" of the Superior Court to include such a list in the case file. Ante at 489. The court then decides to require courts to create a list of jurors' names and place the list in the court file "no later than at the completion of the trial." Id. I recognize that the court, under its superintendence power, has the authority to order trial courts to create a document and place it in the court file, where it will then enjoy the presumption of public access as a court record. But I question the wisdom of doing so and fear that we may someday come to regret it.
The court also contends that creating a juror list and making it part of the court record "promotes confidence in the judicial system by, among other things, providing an independent nongovernmental verification of the impartiality of the jury process, and educating the public as to their duties and obligations should they be called for jury service." Id. at 490. But this is an unreasonably optimistic expectation of the consequences of this opinion. Who are we kidding? The press wants the names of jurors so they can interview the jurors about what was said in the jury room and why they reached the verdict they did. The court itself recognizes the dangers lurking in such an inquiry, noting that it is "not inappropriate for a trial judge to meet with the jurors postverdict to discuss the importance of and value in not disclosing what was said by other jurors in the deliberative process." Id. at note 18.
Moreover, where a court record is created naming the jurors, that court record is available to anyone on request, not just the press. Therefore, in the absence of an impoundment order, anyone interested in or unhappy with the verdict could obtain the list simply by requesting the court file and, because it is not difficult these days to find online a person's address, telephone number, electronic mail (e-mail) address, or social media page, anyone obtaining this list could attempt to communicate with the jurors by telephone, letter, e-mail, or social media. To be sure, a person already can learn the names of jurors and attempt to communicate with them about the verdict without a juror list if the person is willing to sit through jury empanelment or to order a trial transcript of the empanelment, but the court's opinion will make it far easier for a person to do so. I do not think it is wise to encourage such postverdict communications, especially where the jurors will have no say whether they welcome such communications.
list in the court file so that the Globe, or anyone else, may communicate with them against their wishes about the verdict they rendered.
[Note 1] This case was argued before a panel that included the Honorable Roderick L. Ireland prior to his retirement as Chief Justice of this court. The result of that argument was an order of remand to the trial court. After the response to that order of remand, the Honorable Ralph D. Gants participated in the deliberation on this case and authored his separate opinion subsequent to his appointment as Chief Justice of this court.
[Note 2] The Commonwealth apparently filed an opposition to the motion filed by the Globe Newspaper Company, Inc. (Globe), citing the "privacy interests of the jurors." The Commonwealth has not filed a brief in this appeal, but the Attorney General has appropriately filed a brief and supplemental record appendix as intervener. See note 3, infra.
[Note 3] The single justice of the Appeals Court also ordered that the Attorney General be notified of the Globe's petition and be given an opportunity to be heard. See Commonwealth v. Silva, 448 Mass. 701 , 706 (2007). The Attorney General then proceeded as an intervener.
"1. In what form, if any, were the names and addresses of the jurors kept for use during the trial? If the names and addresses were kept, by whom were they kept?
"2. From what sources and by whom was information about juror names and addresses assembled?
"3. Was there a "jury list" created? If so, by whom?
"4. Was this information made part of the court file in this case? If so, when?
"5. What is the custom and practice of retaining such information, whether in the court file or some other file?"
[Note 5] Before making such a list available, the trial judge may conduct a hearing with respect to whether good reason exists to impound the list.
[Note 6] We also conclude that the limitation on the further dissemination of the juror names constituted a prior restraint on the press forbidden by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and art. 16 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, and it also must be set aside.
[Note 7] See Commonwealth v. Angiulo, 415 Mass. 502 , 527 (1993) ("The due process clause precludes the empanelment of an anonymous jury at a criminal trial unless anonymity is necessary to protect the jurors from harm or improper influence").
[Note 8] For example, jury selection in the 1770 prosecutions of the British soldiers charged with the Boston Massacre was open to the public, and the identities of the jurors who acquitted the soldiers were known to the community. See 3 Legal Papers of John Adams 17-19, 49 n.1, 99-100 (L. Wroth & H. Zobel eds. 1965). Similarly, in the 1806 trial of Thomas Selfridge, a prominent Boston attorney accused of shooting and killing the son of a political rival in the middle of the day on State Street, the jurors were drawn and publicly announced at the trial -- the first being Paul Revere (who went unchallenged) -- and were listed in the publicly available reports of the proceeding. See, e.g., Trial of Thomas O. Selfridge, Att'y at Law, Before the Hon. Isaac Parker, Esquire, For Killing Charles Austin on the Public Exchange, in Boston, August 4th, 1806, at 9 (Russell & Cutter, Belcher & Armstrong, Oliver & Munroe, and William Blagrow, 1807) (juror empanelment on Dec. 23, 1806). Similarly, in the 1849 trial of Professor John W. Webster for the murder of Dr. George Parkman (one of the most intensely followed and reported murder trials in the United States at the time), the jurors' names were publicly drawn at the beginning of the trial and published in special editions of the newspapers of the time. See, e.g., Trial of Professor John W. Webster for the Murder of Dr. George Parkman in the Medical College, at 6 (Boston Herald Steam Press, 1850) (listing names of jurors selected for trial).
[Note 9] In his decision on the Globe's motion, the judge observed that "[t]hroughout the trial of this matter, justice required that the names of the jurors be kept from public access to protect them from outside influences that could jeopardize the parties' rights to a fair trial," citing In re Globe Newspaper Co., 920 F.2d 88, 90 (lst Cir. 1990), and it appears that during their empanelment process the names of the jurors were only mentioned at their individual voir dire examination done at sidebar and out of the hearing of the public in attendance.
[Note 10] It is not always the case that the names rather than the numbers assigned to jurors are disclosed, and therefore transcribed by the court reporter during the empanelment process.
[Note 11] This list was created by the session clerk both in electronic and paper forms.
[Note 12] The judge also maintained copies of the confidential juror questionnaires previously completed by the jurors who were empanelled on the jury. The questionnaires are not public records, G. L. c. 234A, § 23, and were appropriately destroyed after the trial.
[Note 13] The history of this tradition has been confirmed by our own random review of records of cases (mostly murder trials) tried by juries before the Supreme Judicial Court in the Nineteenth Century.
[Note 14] Also labelled as "Daily Trial Attendance Records" in some court files.
[Note 15] This list is not to include information obtained from the confidential juror questionnaires and is appropriately limited to the names of the jurors on the daily attendance records.
[Note 16] In a letter dated May 18, 1983, James P. Lynch, Jr., then Chief Justice of the Superior Court, addressed the practice in a letter to the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association. In that letter, Chief Justice Lynch explained that, "[a]s a practical matter," a person could properly obtain juror names from the session clerk's "daily attendance record[s]," and could then obtain juror addresses from the jury commissioner's list (of all jurors summoned to the court session) on file and publicly available in the clerk-magistrate's office. See G. L. c. 234A, § 67.
[Note 17] It is important to note what this case is not about. It is not about impounding the names and addresses of seated jurors during the course of a highly visible trial where the risks of inappropriate juror contact would jeopardize a party's right to a fair trial. It is also not about withholding juror identities after trial where there is a risk of personal harm to the jurors. See Silva, 448 Mass. at 708. Nor is it about a judge's authority to impound the responses of jurors to highly invasive or personal questions (necessitated by the nature of the case to be tried) posed during the individual voir dire process. In each of these circumstances, good cause would be readily apparent.
[Note 18] It is, however, not inappropriate for a trial judge to meet with the jurors postverdict to discuss the importance of and value in not disclosing what was said by other jurors in the deliberative process, and to advise jurors of their right not to respond to media requests, and to bring acts of harassment to the court's attention promptly. See, e.g., In re Globe Newspaper Co., 920 F.2d at 91 (judge "properly urged the jurors to keep their deliberations confidential").
[Note 19] The restriction on dissemination placed on the Globe's use of the names and addresses lawfully obtained from the court's records is plainly a prior restraint forbidden by the First Amendment and art. 16. See George W. Prescott Publ. Co. v. Stoughton Div. of the Dist. Court Dep't of the Trial Court, 428 Mass. 309 , 310-312 (1998); United States v. Quattrone, 402 F.3d 304, 311-313 (2d Cir. 2005). The Attorney General recognizes the problem, but suggests that the matter should be remanded for clarification, where it is not clear whether this restriction was part of the judge's original order. The restriction fails in any case.
[Note Gants-1] "The due process clause precludes the empanelment of an anonymous jury at a criminal trial unless anonymity is necessary to protect the jurors from harm or improper influence. . . . [N]o anonymous jury is to be empanel[l]ed in the courts of the Commonwealth unless the trial judge has first determined on adequate evidence that anonymity is truly necessary and has made written findings on the question." Commonwealth v. Angiulo, 415 Mass. 502 , 527 (1993), citing United States v. Thomas, 757 F.2d 1359, 1365 (2d Cir.), cert. denied sub nom. Fisher v. United States, 474 U.S. 819 (1985), and cert. denied sub nom. Rice v. United States, 479 U.S. 818 (1986). Unless the judge has made the findings necessary to justify an anonymous jury, the name of each prospective juror should be announced on the record before that juror is empanelled.
[Note Gants-2] I agree with the court that, once the names of the jurors are made publicly available, any order restricting dissemination is an unconstitutional prior restraint forbidden by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and art. 16 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, and therefore concur with that part of the court's opinion.
[Note Gants-3] I recognize that, as happened here, the names of jurors sometimes are announced only at sidebar, but, in the absence of an impoundment order, all that is said at sidebar is part of the public trial and can be read in the transcript. Where a transcript is ordered and where that transcript would reveal intensely personal matters regarding prospective jurors that were discussed at sidebar during individual voir dire, such as whether prospective jurors in a sexual assault trial have ever themselves been victims of a sexual assault, a judge may impound that personal information for good cause shown. See ante at note 17.
[Note Gants-4] I recognize that the court's opinion would permit a judge to impound a juror list where good cause is shown, but the court made clear that good cause would generally require "a risk of personal harm to the jurors." Ante at note 17. Thankfully, there are very few such cases where there is evidence of a "risk of personal harm" to jurors. But there are many more cases where there might be a risk that someone may wish to reach out to a juror in a manner that a juror would find to be threatening, harassing, or troubling.

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