Opinion ID: 1981950
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Motion for Closed Trial.

Text: Defendant assigns error to the trial court's refusal to sustain his motion for a closed trial. The record shows the motion was made on the second day of the male victim's testimony, when defendant asked the court to exclude from the courtroom any person not a party to or an attorney for a witness on the ground that people from the hospital and from the child protective treatment office ... have been assisting [the boy victim] in preparing him for the courtroom and his testimony. Defendant's counsel further stated: From my observation yesterday during [his] direct examination he kept referring back to the people in the back of the room that had been assisting him all along in preparation for this hearing and gaining support from them through their presence. When he was finished with his testimony he went back to a crowd of people slapping him on the back and saying what a great job he did. I just think it is prejudicial to any testimony that may be elicited from him during cross-examination. The court overruled the motion, stating that it had an opportunity while in the courtroom to observe the atmosphere present in the courtroom. The court has not seen any indication that this witness has been coached or is being coached during his testimony and there is no indication that anyone in the courtroom is attempting to communicate with the witness during the course of his testimony, either verbally or nonverbally or through use of signals. And therefore, there does not appear to be any prejudice to the defendant by allowing the public to observe this trial. Unless something occurs that changes my mind, the trial will remain open until it is completed. The thrust of defendant's complaint was that the boy victim had changed his testimony somewhat between the time of his discovery deposition and his testimony at trial, and defendant was concerned about the presence in the courtroom of several persons who had helped prepare this child witness for testifying at trial. The issue was one of credibility of this witness, a matter reserved for the trier of fact. State v. Myers, 382 N.W.2d 91, 97 (Iowa 1986). Alerted to the possibility of spectator coaching of the witness, the trial court observed none and found no good cause to restrict public access to the proceedings. We leave such determinations to the trial court's sound discretion. See State v. Hackett, 197 N.W.2d 569, 573 (Iowa 1972). Closed proceedings are rare and are granted only for cause shown that outweighs the value of openness. Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court, 464 U.S. 501, 509, 104 S.Ct. 819, 824, 78 L.Ed.2d 629, 638 (1984); see State v. Lawrence, 167 N.W.2d 912, 915 (Iowa 1969). Absent an overriding interest, the trial of a criminal case must be open to the public. Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia, 448 U.S. 555, 581, 100 S.Ct. 2814, 2829-30, 65 L.Ed.2d 973, 992 (1980). The justification for denying access to a trial must be a weighty one. Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39, 45, 104 S.Ct. 2210, 2215, 81 L.Ed.2d 31, 38 (1984); Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. 596, 606, 102 S.Ct. 2613, 2620, 73 L.Ed.2d 248, 257 (1982). The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant's motion to exclude spectators from the courtroom and close the trial.