Opinion ID: 779123
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Public Access Plays a Significant Positive Role in Deportation Hearings

Text: 98 Next, we turn to the logic prong, which asks whether public access plays a significant positive role in the functioning of the particular process in question. Press-Enter. II, 478 U.S. at 8-9, 106 S.Ct. 2735. Public access undoubtedly enhances the quality of deportation proceedings. Much of the reasoning from Richmond Newspapers is also applicable to this context. 99 First, public access acts as a check on the actions of the Executive by assuring us that proceedings are conducted fairly and properly. See Richmond Newspapers, 448 U.S. at 569, 100 S.Ct. 2814 (noting that public access assures that proceedings are conducted fairly, including discouraging perjury, the misconduct of participants, and decisions based on secret bias or partiality). In an area such as immigration, where the government has nearly unlimited authority, the press and the public serve as perhaps the only check on abusive government practices. 15 100 Second, openness ensures that government does its job properly; that it does not make mistakes. It is better that many [immigrants] should be improperly admitted than one natural born citizen of the United States should be permanently excluded from his country. Kwock Jan Fat, 253 U.S. at 464, 40 S.Ct. 566. Congressional oversight hearings can prevent future mistakes, but they can do little to correct past ones. In contrast, openness at the hearings can allow mistakes to be cured at once. Soc'y of Prof'l. Journalists, 616 F.Supp. at 575-576. Moreover, [t]he natural tendency of government officials is to hold their meetings in secret. They can thereby avoid criticism and proceed informally and less carefully. They do not have to worry before they proceed with the task that a careless remark may be splashed across the next day's headlines. Id. 101 These first two concerns are magnified by the fact that deportees have no right to an attorney at the government's expense. Effectively, the press and the public may be their only guardian. 102 Third, after the devastation of September 11 and the massive investigation that followed, the cathartic effect of open deportations cannot be overstated. They serve a therapeutic purpose as outlets for community concern, hostility, and emotions. Richmond Newspapers, 448 U.S. at 571, 100 S.Ct. 2814. As the district court stated: 103 It is important for the public, particularly individuals who feel that they are being targeted by the Government as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, to know that even during these sensitive times the Government is adhering to immigration procedures and respecting individuals' rights.... And if in fact the Government determines that Haddad is connected to terrorist activity or organizations, a decision made openly concerning his deportation may assure the public that justice has been done. 104 Detroit Free Press, 195 F.Supp.2d at 944. 105 Fourth, openness enhances the perception of integrity and fairness. The value of openness lies in the fact that people not actually attending trials can have confidence that standards of fairness are being observed; the sure knowledge that anyone is free to attend gives assurance that established procedures are being followed and that deviations will become known. Press-Enter., 464 U.S. at 508, 104 S.Ct. 819. The most stringent safeguards for a deportee would be of limited worth if the public is not persuaded that the standards are being fairly enforced. Legitimacy rests in large part on public understanding. See First Amendment Coalition, 784 F.2d at 486 (Adams, J., concurring in part, dissenting in part). 106 Fifth, public access helps ensure that the individual citizen can effectively participate in and contribute to our republican system of self-government. Globe Newspaper, 457 U.S. at 604, 102 S.Ct. 2613. [A] major purpose of [the First Amendment] was to protect the free discussion of governmental affairs. Id. Public access to deportation proceedings helps inform the public of the affairs of the government. Direct knowledge of how their government is operating enhances the public's ability to affirm or protest government's efforts. When government selectively chooses what information it allows the public to see, it can become a powerful tool for deception. 107 Additionally, the Government has not identified one persuasive reason why openness would play a negative role in the process. Nothing like the excessive financial burdens noted by the Supreme Court in Houchins would be applicable here. 108 Having found a First Amendment right of access to deportation hearings, we now determine whether the Government has made a sufficient showing to overcome that right.