Brief filed: 03/03/2017
Documents
Weaver v. Massachusetts
United States Supreme Court; Case No. 16-240
Prior Decision
Case below 474 Mass. 787, 54 N.E.3d 495 (July 20, 2016.
Argument(s)
The right to a public trial is too important to be forfeited by counsel's incompetence. The right to a public trial has always been recognized as fundamental to the integrity of the criminal justice system. For centuries, courts and commentators have emphasized the importance of public trials. Public trials protect the integrity of the criminal justice system in several ways. The right to a public trial should not be inadvertently forfeitable through counsel's incompetence.
Author(s)
Stuart Banner, UCLA School of Law Supreme Court Clinic, Los Angeles, CA; David M. Porter, NACDL, Washington, DC.