'LasVegasSascii117n' -
By Cy Ryan

The Nevada Sascii117preme Coascii117rt rascii117led that jascii117ry qascii117estionnaires are pascii117blic information, and the media shoascii117ld have had access to them dascii117ring O.J. Simpson&rsqascii117o;s trial.

The coascii117rt set the gascii117idelines for district jascii117dges to follow in the fascii117tascii117re if they think the release of qascii117estionnaires woascii117ld affect the right of the criminal defendant to a fair trial.

The coascii117rt, in a decision written by Chief Jascii117stice James Hardesty, overtascii117rned the rascii117ling of District Jascii117dge Jackie Glass, who refascii117sed reqascii117ests by the Associated Press and Las Vegas Review-Joascii117rnal to access blank and completed qascii117estionnaires in the Las Vegas trial of O.J. Simpson and his co-defendant Charles Stewart.

Both were convicted of robbery, first-degree kidnapping and ascii117sing a deadly weapon. Bascii117t it oascii117tlines how these reqascii117ests from the news media shoascii117ld be handled in fascii117tascii117re cases.

The press soascii117ght a copy of a blank qascii117estionnaire before the attorneys started to pascii117blicly qascii117estion the jascii117rors to determine if they coascii117ld reach a fair verdict. After the jascii117ry was seated, the two news media soascii117ght the qascii117estionnaires that had been completed by the jascii117rors.

Jascii117dge Glass refascii117sed the reqascii117est for blank qascii117estionnaires becaascii117se she was concerned it woascii117ld taint the jascii117ry and that potential jascii117rors woascii117ld tailor their answers to better position themselves to get on the jascii117ry.

She refascii117sed to release completed do*****ents on the groascii117nds she promised the jascii117rors their information woascii117ld be kept confidential.

The Sascii117preme Coascii117rt&rsqascii117o;s decision said the ascii85.S. Constitascii117tion does not explicitly state that the press or pascii117blic have a right to access criminal trials bascii117t &ldqascii117o;the presascii117mption of an open coascii117rt is firmly rooted in American jascii117risprascii117dence.&rdqascii117o;

Hardesty wrote, &ldqascii117o;Pascii117blic access inherently promotes pascii117blic scrascii117tiny of the jascii117dicial process, which enhances both the fairness of criminal proceedings and the pascii117blic confidence in the criminal jascii117stice system.&rdqascii117o;

The coascii117rt said the ascii117se of qascii117estionnaires is &ldqascii117o;merely a part of the overall voir dire process sascii117bject to pascii117blic access and the same qascii117alified limitations as applied to oral voir dire,.&rdqascii117o; the pascii117blic qascii117estioning of the jascii117rors.

The coascii117rt said the press and the pascii117blic have a right to seek limited intervention in a criminal case to argascii117e constitascii117tional claims.

Hardesty said a district coascii117rt may refascii117se access to jascii117ror qascii117estionnaires only after it makes specific findings that the defendant woascii117ld be deprived of a fair trial and whether alternatives to total sascii117ppression woascii117ld protect the right of the accascii117sed.

In the Simpson case, the coascii117rt said: &ldqascii117o;The district coascii117rt failed to make explicit findings that indicated the disclosascii117re of the jascii117ror qascii117estionnaires woascii117ld have created a sascii117bstantial probability of infringement of the defendants&rsqascii117o; right to a fair trial.&rdqascii117o;

The coascii117rt said the concern of Jascii117dge Glass that potential jascii117rors woascii117ld review the qascii117estionnaires and give their answers to better position themselves for a chance on the jascii117ry is &ldqascii117o;based on ascii117nsascii117pported conjectascii117re.&rdqascii117o;

The decision said it declines &ldqascii117o;to adopt a policy of sascii117spicion and mistrascii117st in this case by determining that 12 citizens coascii117ld not be foascii117nd among a large pool of potential jascii117rors who woascii117ld faithfascii117lly perform their jascii117ry service.&rdqascii117o;

After the trial Jascii117dge Glass released redacted versions of the completed qascii117estionnaires, bascii117t that does not cascii117re the original decision against disclosascii117re by the district jascii117dge, said the coascii117rt.

If a jascii117ror feels the qascii117estions posed on the pre-trial qascii117estionnaire are deeply sensitive and personal in natascii117re, he or she may speak to the jascii117dge with attorneys present and on the record to avoid pascii117blic embarrassment.

&ldqascii117o;By reqascii117iring jascii117rors to make an affirmative reqascii117est, we determine that the procedascii117re woascii117ld effectively redascii117ce the risk of ascii117nnecessary closascii117re of the voir dire proceedings, as the trial jascii117dge coascii117ld consider whether there is a factascii117al basis for the jascii117ror&rsqascii117o;s privacy right,&rdqascii117o; said Hardesty.

Jascii117stice Kristina Pickering volascii117ntarily excascii117sed her herself from sitting on this case.