2014 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
757. General provisions concerning courts of record, judges, attorneys and clerks.
757.14 Sittings, public.
757.14 Sittings, public. The sittings of every court shall be public and every citizen may freely attend the same, except if otherwise expressly provided by law on the examination of persons charged with crime; provided, that when in any court a cause of a scandalous or obscene nature is on trial the presiding judge or justice may exclude from the room where the court is sitting all minors not necessarily present as parties or witnesses.
Any citizen has the right to attend immunity hearings arising out of a John Doe proceeding. State ex rel. Newspapers, Inc. v. Circuit Court, 65 Wis. 2d 66, 221 N.W.2d 894 (1974).
It was an abuse of discretion to exclude the public from the voir dire of potential jurors. State ex rel. La Crosse Tribune v. Circuit Ct. 115 Wis. 2d 220, 340 N.W.2d 460 (1983).
Commitment hearings under s. 51.20 (12) are open unless the court grants the subject individual's motion for closure. State ex rel. Wisconsin State Journal v. Dane County Circuit Ct., 131 Wis. 2d 515, 389 N.W.2d 73 (Ct. App. 1986).
The 6th amendment right to a public trial extends to voir dire. A judge's decision to close or limit public access to a courtroom in a criminal case requires the court to go through an analysis on the record in which the court considers overriding interests and reasonable alternatives. The court must make specific findings on the record to support the exclusion of the public and must narrowly tailor the closure. State v. Pinno, 2014 WI 74, ___ Wis. 2d ___, 850 N.W.2d 207, 11-2424.
Public access to criminal trials in particular is protected by the 1st amendment. Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. 596 (1982).
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