From the Raleigh News and Observer (7/5/11): Two high-profile murder cases have given jurors and potential jurors in Wake County a lingering case of the jitters.
Donald Stephens, the senior chief resident Superior Court judge, responded by issuing a blanket administrative order sealing juror addresses, phone numbers and questionnaires containing private information.
That drew scorn from public records advocates and media lawyers, who say it violates the Constitution and jeopardizes the openness of judicial proceedings.
In two recent murder cases that were broadcast live from the courtroom, jurors have voiced concerns about being dragged into the spotlight and about details of their private lives becoming public.