Don’t allow secret sessions at Deedy trial
A fair trial is, in large measure, an open one. The American criminal justice system earns its claim on public trust by delivering that justice as openly as possible.
This is the rationale behind the request by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and joined by other media outlets, for transcripts of closed court sessions in the trial of federal agent Christopher Deedy on second-degree murder.
The petitioners also want to prohibit Judge Karen Ahn, who presided over the prolonged proceedings that ended in a mistrial, from holding such closed sessions without giving the media and public a chance to object.
The latest development: Deedy himself has signed on to the request, which seeks an order from the Hawaii Supreme Court. So it’s all but unanimous.
Justice delayed is justice denied, they say, but justice hidden has a similar defect. Sunshine, please.
Children can drown in a bathtub, too
Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among young children in Hawaii, a tragic fact brought into focus this week by the death of a 2-year-old girl and the critical injury of a 6-year-old boy.
Both those children fell victim to the ocean’s perils, but state health statistics show that the risk is nearly as great at home. Of the 12 children ages 1 to 5 who have drowned in Hawaii over the past five years, five died in the ocean, four in swimming pools and three in bathtubs.
Children near water must always be supervised by adults, whether they are splashing around in the bathtub or playing on the shore of Hawaii’s treacherous surf.