Journal First Amendment fight: R.I. Superior Court agrees to release juror document

Eight months after The Providence Journal filed a lawsuit challenging a judge’s ban on reporters contacting jurors after trial, the Rhode Island Superior Court now says it will release the document that identifies jurors whenever it’s requested.

But the newspaper still wants a federal judge to declare the actions of Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel unconstitutional when she banned reporters from reaching out to “my jurors” after a murder trial in April.

Regarding the so-called jury form, or card, the court now says it will provide, within 24 hours of a request, a copy of the document that identifies empaneled jurors by the assigned number each was given. (A reporter, or any other member of the public, can then match that number to the master list of potential jurors called for a particular day to learn their names and addresses.)

While agreeing to release the jury form, the court maintains the document is not subject to disclosure under the state’s Access to Public Records Act because it doesn’t pertain to the “administrative function” of the judiciary. Instead, the court argues in filings, the form is kept in the jury commissioner’s office and only used to contact jurors during judicial evaluations.

Read more: https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20181221/journal-first-amendment-fight-ri-superior-court-agrees-to-release-juror-document