Opinion ID: 1708780
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Rights of Access to Proceedings

Text: The Court of Appeals majority analyzed this issue as follows: The existence of a constitutional right of access to trials was considered by the United States Supreme Court in Gannett and in Richmond Newspapers, Inc v Virginia, 448 US 555; 100 S Ct 2814; 65 L Ed 2d 973 (1980). Gannett involved a pretrial hearing on a motion to suppress certain evidence; however, much of the reasoning in the majority opinion by Justice Stewart was based on considerations applicable to trials. The Court held that members of the public have no constitutional right under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to attend criminal trials, even though open trials were the norm under common law. The Court noted in passing that the public had no right to attend pretrial proceedings under common law. The Court declined to decide whether the First and Fourteenth Amendments created a constitutional right to attend trials. Instead, the Court held that, assuming arguendo that such a right existed, it was not violated where denial of access was not absolute but temporary, members of the public were given an opportunity to object to closure of the proceedings, and the trial court concluded that the potential prejudice to defendant's constitutional right to a fair trial outweighed the right of access to the proceedings. Four justices dissented in Gannett in an opinion written by Justice Blackmun. The dissenters inferred from the unbroken common-law tradition of public trials in criminal cases that the Sixth Amendment was intended to create a public right to attend trials. The dissenters recognized that pretrial proceedings were not open to the public at common law, but concluded that the pretrial suppression hearing involved in Gannett should not have been closed since under common law pretrial suppression hearings were unknown and objections to the admission of evidence were made at trial. In Detroit Free Press v Recorder's Court Judge, 409 Mich 364, 388; 294 NW2d 827 (1980), the Court considered some of the same questions involved in Gannett. The Court concluded that the Sixth Amendment and art 1, § 20 of the Michigan Constitution created a public right of access to trials. However, Gannett was expressly distinguished as involving a pretrial proceeding. Moreover, the Court relied upon the same type of historical analysis conducted by the dissenters in Gannett, which, as has been seen, does not support a public right of access to pretrial proceedings not open to the public at common law. In view of the foregoing, it does not appear that the Sixth Amendment or the equivalent state constitutional provision require public access to a preliminary examination. In Richmond, the Court considered whether the First and Fourteenth Amendments created a constitutional right of access to trials, a question it had expressly refrained from deciding in Gannett. Richmond involved the exclusion of all members of the public from a criminal trial. No opinion in Richmond commanded a majority of the Court, but seven of the eight justices participating found that the First and Fourteenth Amendments created a constitutional right of access to criminal trials. However, the opinion of Chief Justice Burger, joined by Justices White and Stevens, stated that the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press protected a right of access to places traditionally open to the public, such as trials. The opinion of Justice Brennan, joined by Justice Marshall, emphasized the necessity of consulting historical practice in determining whether a constitutional right of access exists. The opinion of Justice Blackmun approved the historical approach taken in the Chief Justice's opinion. Thus, the result in Richmond was based on the common-law tradition of open trials. Justice Stewart's opinion in Gannett, supra, 387-391, demonstrated conclusively that no such tradition requires open preliminary examinations. In view of the foregoing, we cannot say that the First Amendment requires public access to preliminary examinations. Midland Publishing Co, supra, pp 60-62. In contrast, the dissent reasoned that, since the preliminary examination is a part of a criminal trial, MCL 750.520k; MSA 28.788(11) violated US Const, Am VI; Const 1963, art 1, § 20. Id., p 65. First, we note that the press has no greater rights of access to pretrial proceedings than does the public generally. Also, we are persuaded that a preliminary examination is not a part of trial, that the public has no common-law or constitutional rights of access to that proceeding, and that the public's statutory right of access has been validly restricted.
As noted previously, [14] common-law rights can be modified or abolished by the Legislature. Thus, even if the public possesses a common-law right of access to preliminary examinations, [15] the Legislature can restrict that right. Consequently, MCL 750.520k; MSA 28.788(11) is a valid restriction on any common-law right. Similarly, any statutory right of access has also properly been restricted. Generally, the public does possess a statutory right of access to all courtroom proceedings. The sittings of every court within this state shall be public except that a court may, for good cause shown, exclude from the courtroom other witnesses in the case when they are not testifying and may, in actions involving scandal or immorality, exclude all minors from the courtroom unless the minor is a party or witness. This section shall not apply to cases involving national security. MCL 600.1420; MSA 27A.1420. [16] Although this right has existed since 1846, [17] it is not absolute. Detroit Free Press v Macomb Circuit Judge, 405 Mich 544, 546-547; 275 NW2d 482 (1979). It is a fundamental rule of statutory construction that apparently conflicting statutes should be construed, if possible, to give each full force and effect. State Highway Comm'r v Detroit City Controller, 331 Mich 337, 358; 49 NW2d 318 (1951). It is also well established that a later-enacted specific statute operates as an exception or a qualification to a more general prior statute covering the same subject matter and that, if there is an irreconcilable conflict between two statutes, the later-enacted one will control. See, e.g., State Highway Comm'r, supra; People v Flynn, 330 Mich 130, 141; 47 NW2d 47 (1951); Metropolitan Life Ins Co v Stoll, 276 Mich 637, 641; 268 NW 763 (1936). MCL 750.520k; MSA 28.788(11) was enacted by 1974 PA 266 and became effective on April 1, 1975. In this case, there is no irreconcilable conflict. Rather, the later-enacted specific statute serves as an exception or qualification of the right conferred by the more general prior statute. Consequently, MCL 750.520k; MSA 28.788(11) is a valid restriction on the public's general statutory right of access to courtroom proceedings.
Finally, the public does not have any constitutional rights of access to preliminary examinations. The relevant federal and state constitutional provisions read as follows: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. US Const, Am I. 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 defense. US Const, Am VI. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. US Const, Am XIV, § 1. Every person may freely speak, write, express and publish his views on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of such right; and no law shall be enacted to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press. Const 1963, art 1, § 5. In every criminal prosecution, the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, which may consist of less than 12 jurors in prosecutions for misdemeanors punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year; to be informed of the nature of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; to have the assistance of counsel for his defense; to have an appeal as a matter of right; and as provided by law, when the trial court so orders, to have such reasonable assistance as may be necessary to perfect and prosecute an appeal. Const 1963, art 1, § 20. As the Court of Appeals majority noted, in Gannett Co, Inc v DePasquale, 443 US 368, 379-391; 99 S Ct 2898; 61 L Ed 2d 608 (1979), the trial court ordered that the press and the public be excluded from a pretrial suppression hearing in a murder prosecution. In a 5-4 decision, the majority held that members of the public have no constitutional right of access to criminal trials under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. [18] Among the guarantees that the [Sixth] Amendment provides to a person charged with the commission of a criminal offense, and to him alone, is the `right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury.' The Constitution nowhere mentions any right of access to a criminal trial on the part of the public; its guarantee, like the others enumerated, is personal to the accused. Id., pp 379-380. See, also, 1 Cooley, Constitutional Limitations (8th ed), p 647. The majority also noted that, although the public at common law enjoyed a right of access to both civil and criminal trials, the common law did not confer a similar right in regard to pretrial proceedings. Gannett, supra, pp 384-391. Finally, although the Court declined to decide whether the First and Fourteenth Amendments [19] conferred upon the public a constitutional right of access to criminal trials, it held that, even if such a right existed, it was not violated when: (1) no objection was voiced when the closure motion was made, (2) members of the public were subsequently given an opportunity to object to closure of the proceedings, (3) the trial court concluded that the potential prejudice to defendant's constitutional right to a fair trial outweighed the public's right of access, and (4) any denial of access was not absolute but temporary. Id., pp 391-393. In effect, the Court held that any First Amendment right of access possessed by the public could be balanced against a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial. The dissenters in Gannett found, upon the basis of the public's common-law right of access to criminal trials, that the Sixth Amendment was intended to create an identical right. Id., pp 415-433. Further, the dissenters noted that the evidentiary suppression hearing is a close equivalent to a full trial on the merits. Also, such a hearing was unknown at common law. Instead, at common law, any objections to the admission of evidence were made at trial. Thus, the dissenters concluded that the public must possess a constitutional right of access to suppression hearings. Id., pp 433-439. However, they too recognized that that right was not absolute. Id., pp 439-446. In Richmond Newspapers, Inc v Virginia, 448 US 555; 100 S Ct 2814; 65 L Ed 2d 973 (1980), the Supreme Court addressed the question which it had expressly left open in Gannett, i.e., whether the First and Fourteenth Amendments confer upon the public a constitutional right of access to criminal trials. The Richmond trial court, upon defendant's motion, and absent any objection from the prosecution, had ordered defendant's trial for murder closed to the public. Although no opinion garnered a majority, seven of the eight justices participating in the case answered the question before the Court in the affirmative. Id., pp 575-580 (opinion of Burger, C.J.), pp 581-582 (opinion of White, J.), p 584 (opinion of Stevens, J.), pp 585, 597-598 (opinion of Brennan, J.), p 599 (opinion of Stewart, J.), and p 604 (opinion of Blackmun, J.). Also, those seven agreed that a determination of the question presented required an historical analysis. Id., pp 564-569 (opinion of Burger, C.J.), pp 581-582 (opinion of White, J.), p 584 (opinion of Stevens, J.), pp 589-593, 597-598 (opinion of Brennan, J.), p 599 (opinion of Stewart, J.), and p 601 (opinion of Blackmun, J.). Finally, six justices were of the view that the public's First Amendment right of access could be balanced against a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial. Id., pp 580-581 (opinion of Burger, C.J.), p 582 (opinion of White, J.), p 584 (opinion of Stevens, J.), pp 585, 593, fn 18, 597-598 (opinion of Brennan, J.), pp 600-601 (opinion of Stewart, J.). Subsequent to the Court of Appeals decision in this case, the United States Supreme Court has decided three more cases dealing with similar issues. First, in Globe Newspaper Co v Superior Court for the County of Norfolk, 457 US 596; 102 S Ct 2613; 73 L Ed 2d 248 (1982), the Supreme Court addressed in greater detail the balancing of the public's First Amendment right of access to criminal trials and a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial. A state statute required trial judges, presiding over trials involving certain sexual offenses perpetrated against minor victims, to exclude the public from the courtroom during the testimony of the victim. While reaffirming its view that the public possesses a First Amendment right of access to all criminal trials, id., pp 603-606, the Court stated that the circumstances under which the press and public can be barred from a criminal trial are limited; the State's justification in denying access must be a weighty one. Where, as in the present case, the State attempts to deny the right of access in order to inhibit the disclosure of sensitive information, it must be shown that the denial is necessitated by a compelling governmental interest, and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest. Id., pp 606-607. The Court also made it clear that a rule of mandatory closure respecting the testimony of minor sex victims is constitutionally infirm. In individual cases, and under appropriate circumstances, the First Amendment does not necessarily stand as a bar to the exclusion from the courtroom of the press and general public during the testimony of minor sex-offense victims. But a mandatory rule, requiring no particularized determinations in individual cases, is unconstitutional. Id., p 611, fn 27. Rather, the Court implied that the public's First Amendment right of access to criminal trials can be abridged only after an individualized exercise of the trial court's discretion. Id., pp 607-610. In the first of two decisions rendered in 1984, the Supreme Court held that the public's First Amendment right of access to criminal trials extended to voir dire proceedings. Press-Enterprise Co v Superior Court of California, Riverside County, 464 US 501; 104 S Ct 819; 78 L Ed 2d 629 (1984). Once again, the Court emphasized the historical analysis necessary to a proper determination of the question before it. Id., pp 505-508. Also, the Court reaffirmed the balancing test set forth in Globe Newspaper, supra, pp 606-607, and expanded on that test as follows: The presumption of openness may be overcome only by an overriding interest based on findings that closure is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest. The interest is to be articulated along with findings specific enough that a reviewing court can determine whether the closure order was properly entered. 464 US 510. Finally, the Court made it clear that, prior to abridging the public's First Amendment right of access, a trial court must consider alternatives to closing the proceedings. Id., p 511. In its most recent exposition in this area, the Supreme Court held that a defendant's right to a public trial, conferred by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, extends to a pretrial suppression hearing. Waller v Georgia, ___ US ___; 104 S Ct 2210; 81 L Ed 2d 31, 38 (1984). [T]here can be little doubt that the explicit Sixth Amendment right of the accused is no less protective of a public trial than the implicit First Amendment right of the press and public. The central aim of a criminal proceeding must be to try the accused fairly, and `[o]ur cases have uniformly recognized the public-trial guarantee as one created for the benefit of the defendant.' Gannett, supra, at 380. The Waller trial court, upon the prosecution's motion and over the defendant's objection, ordered a pretrial suppression hearing closed to all persons other than witnesses, court personnel, and the parties and their counsel. In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court abandoned the historical analysis which marked its prior decisions, instead analogizing pretrial suppression hearings to bench trials. 81 L Ed 2d 37-39. In sum, we hold that under the Sixth Amendment any closure of a suppression hearing over the objections of the accused must meet the tests set out in Press-Enterprise and its predecessors.