Opinion ID: 1599055
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the trial court erred by excluding the public from the courtroom for the testimony of korey jarrack.

Text: ¶ 21. Prior to empaneling the jury and again before Korey's testimony, the trial court ruled that he would close the courtroom to spectators. The trial court cleared the courtroom of everyone except the parties, attorneys, deputies, and jurors. Bailey objected, albeit generally. ¶ 22. Bailey now argues that his federal and state constitutional rights to a public trial have been violated. The Mississippi Constitution, Article 3, Section 26 provides in part, that: In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have a right to be heard by himself or counsel, or both, to demand the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted by the witnesses against him, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and, in all prosecutions by indictment or information, a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the county where the offense was committed; and he shall not be compelled to give evidence against himself; but in prosecutions for rape, adultery, fornication, sodomy or crime against nature the court may, in its discretion, exclude from the courtroom all persons except such as are necessary in the conduct of the trial ... MISS. CONST. art. 3, § 26. ¶ 23. The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. U.S. CONST. amend. VI. ¶ 24. Generally, a defendant has a constitutional right to a public trial. However, that right is not absolute, but instead must be balanced against other interests essential to the administration of justice. Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39, 45, 104 S.Ct. 2210, 81 L.Ed.2d 31 (1984). The Mississippi Constitution explicitly authorizes the exclusion of the public in certain instances. The United States Constitution does not, but Federal Courts have recognized certain instances in which exclusion is appropriate. Any exclusion of the public must satisfy both the Mississippi Constitution and the United States Constitution. ¶ 25. This Court examined a defendant's right to a public trial in Lee v. State, 529 So.2d 181 (Miss.1988). In contrast to the case sub judice, Lee was a rape case in which the public was excluded for the victim's testimony. The trial court also articulated specific reasons for the exclusion of the public. In affirming the lower court's decision, this Court recognized that the Mississippi Constitution expressly provides for exclusion in rape cases, but held that the exclusion must not violate the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Lee, 529 So.2d at 182-83. The Court cited numerous federal court decisions in which federal courts had upheld public exclusion to the extent necessary to avoid embarrassment or emotional disturbance to a witness which might result from that witness giving testimony in a particular case. Id. at 183. This Court concluded that the trial judge in Lee had made findings sufficient to exclude the public and to satisfy the requirements of the Sixth Amendment. Id. ¶ 26. In the case at hand, the trial judge made the following comments concerning excluding the public for Korey's testimony: THE COURT: Okay. Just for those people who are in the audience, once the minor child who is alleged to be the victim in this case is called as a witness, I'm sure the State is going to make a motion for me to basically close the courtroom. MR. BOURGEOIS: Yes, sir. THE COURT: This is the one exception under the open policy that we have in having open proceedings in the courtroom, and I will ask you-all to leave the courtroom at that time, other than the deputies and the necessary parties, the defendant, and the attorneys. Mr. Haas, are you going to have an objection to that? MR. HASS: Yes, Your Honor. We do invoke the rule. I don't know if anybody has done it or not. THE COURT: No. MR. HASS: But we would object to that, Your Honor. THE COURT: Okay. Noting that objection, I just want everybody to know what my decision is going to be. That's the decision I have made in every case involving a sexual claim against a minor ... ¶ 27. Bailey cites this Court's decision in Mississippi Publishers Corp. v. Coleman, 515 So.2d 1163 (Miss.1987) to support his argument that crimes not expressly enumerated in Article 3, Section 26 cannot serve as the basis for exclusion of the public. Coleman involved a murder trial in which the trial court excluded the press and the public from pre-trial proceedings. Mississippi Publishers argued that murder was not included in the list of crimes for which the trial could be closed. This Court said in dictum that, [t]hat is true. It is also irrelevant, since the closure order does not propose to close Pruett's trial. Coleman, 515 So.2d at 1167. ¶ 28. In the case sub judice, Bailey argues that felony child abuse is not specifically listed as a crime for which exclusion of the public is allowed. Furthermore, because the trial court gave no specific reasons for the exclusion, Bailey argues that his right to a public trial has been violated. As in Coleman, however, the trial court did not close Bailey's entire trial. ¶ 29. In Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39, 104 S.Ct. 2210, 81 L.Ed.2d 31 (1984), the United States Supreme Court established a test for determining whether a defendant's right to a public trial is outweighed by other considerations. The Court held that: Under Press-Enterprise, the party seeking to close the hearing must advance an overriding interest that is likely to be prejudiced, the closure must be no broader than necessary to protect that interest, the trial court must consider reasonable alternatives to closing the proceeding, and it must make findings adequate to support the closure. Waller, 467 U.S. at 48. This Court adopted the Waller test in Gannett River States Publishing Co. v. Hand, 571 So.2d 941 (Miss. 1990). ¶ 30. Bailey argues that because the trial court made no real record in this case, no legitimate analysis can be made as to the Waller factors. Bailey seeks a reversal of his conviction and sentence. ¶ 31. The State asserts that although the trial court did not consider the Waller factors on the record, the record does in fact support the trial court's ruling. In other words, the State argues that an on the record determination of the factors would have led to the same result. The State points out that Korey was five years old at the time of trial, and that although this was not a sexual abuse case, the sexual connotations which might cause embarrassment and fear were certainly present. ¶ 32. We find the State's argument persuasive. As we recognized in Lee, supra, public exclusion may be appropriate to the extent necessary to avoid embarrassment or emotional disturbance to a witness which might result from that witness giving testimony in a particular case. Lee, 529 So.2d at 183. It certainly was appropriate in this case which although not a sexual abuse case did require a five-year old to testify to potentially embarrassing facts. Although the trial judge should have provided a more extensive record of his reasoning for the closure, we affirm his decision and find his ruling to be barely sufficient.