Opinion ID: 626397
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Right to Public Trial

Text: Saldana contends that the District Court abused its discretion when it denied his motion for a new trial based on exclusion of the public during jury selection. We review the denial of a motion for a new trial for abuse of discretion. United States v. Joseph, 996 F.2d 36, 39 (3d Cir. 1993). Our review is plenary when the denial was “based on the application of legal precepts.” Hook v. Ernst & Young, 28 F.3d 366, 370 (3d Cir. 1994). On the basis of testimony introduced at the evidentiary hearing, the District Court found that individuals had been excluded from the courtroom by a Court Security Officer (CSO) during jury roll call at a time when the judge was not present in the courtroom. Moreover, it is not clear whether the closure continued after the judge entered the courtroom. If it did -- and the judge was not aware of any closure – it was for an insignificant period. The District Court concluded that Saldana was not denied his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial because the alleged closure was neither ordered nor directed by the District Court and it did not appear to have occurred during a judicial proceeding to which the Sixth Amendment attaches. Greene raised an identical claim, based on testimony introduced at the same evidentiary hearing, in a prior related appeal. On appeal of that conviction we affirmed the District Court’s ruling that Greene did not suffer harm of constitutional dimension when a CSO temporarily prevented his family member from entering the courtroom. United States v. Greene, 431 F. App’x 191, 197 (3d Cir. 2011). We noted there, as we do 7 here, that the partial closure was limited in both duration and scope and occurred unbeknownst to the trial judge. See id. at 196-97. Again, we hold that the District Court properly concluded that Saldana was not denied his right to a public trial.