Court Opinion

ID: 9725025
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 11:25:59.956923+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:09.232345
License: Public Domain

RACANELLI, P. J.
I reluctantly concur in the result mandating interim sealing of a portion of the preliminary hearing transcript in view of the reasonable likelihood that pretrial disclosure could seriously affect petitioner’s right to a fair and impartial jury trial within the vicinage. My reluctance is founded upon a conviction that even the temporary sealing of an otherwise public court record (see Pen. Code, §§ 869-870; Code Civ. Proc., § 1904; cf. Pen. Code, § 938.1, subd. (b)) evokes sensitive policy considerations relative to the desirability and need for unfettered access by both the public and media representatives. (Cf. Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. Cohn (1975) 420 U.S. 469, 495-496 [43 L.Ed.2d 328, 349-350, 95 S.Ct. 1029]; see Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia (1980) 448 U.S. 555 [65 L.Ed.2d 973, 100 S.Ct. 2814]; see also Brian W. v. Superior Court (1978) 20 Cal.3d 618, 625-626 [143 Cal.Rptr. 717, 574 P.2d 788].)
Since the justification underlying the requested relief is avoidance of probable pretrial publicity taint, I would explicitly condition the grant of relief to permit the trial court to reconsider the necessity for pretrial nondisclosure in light of any subsequent developments or proceedings likely to affect the actual date of commencement or place of trial.