Ex Parte Easterwood
Ex Parte Easterwood
Opinion
Todd Olen Easterwood was indicted for first-degree sodomy. The indictment charged that Easterwood had engaged in deviate sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 121 by forcible compulsion, a violation of §
The evidence introduced at trial tended to show that Easterwood, who was employed as a police officer by the City of Birmingham at the time of the incident, engaged in sexual misconduct with the victim beginning when the child was 11 or 12 years old. Initially, the conduct began as back rubs but progressed to kissing, masturbation, and eventually oral sex.
At trial, G.W.B., a 27-year-old convicted felon who was at the time of Easterwood's trial incarcerated on a robbery conviction, was called as a witness for the State. G.W.B. was to testify to a sexual relationship he had had with Easterwood, beginning when G.W.B. was 11 years old and Easterwood was 19 years old. The purpose of G.W.B.'s testimony was to establish motive for the charged offense, i.e., Easterwood's sexual desire for young boys.
Once he was on the witness stand and the questioning from the State turned to *Page 369 the nature of his relationship with Easterwood, G.W.B. became reluctant to testify:
"[Prosecutor]: And did you ever do anything other than listen to the radio and stuff like that?
"[G.W.B.]: Sir, I don't think I'm — I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this. I mean, it's humiliating, and I don't know — I don't think I'm going to be able to do this.
"[Prosecutor]: When you say `humiliating,' what do you mean by `humiliating'?
"[G.W.B.]: I just — all of this is humiliating to me, and I just can't — I just can't do this right now.
"[Prosecutor]: Okay. When you say" and let's — let's — talk about. Can you look at me? When you say that it's all humiliating, what kind of things were humiliating? The things that happened at the house, or what kind of things?
"[G.W.B.]: Just being in this courtroom and, you know, all of this, you know.
"[Prosecutor]: Talking about what happened?
"[G.W.B.]: Yeah, just talking about it, you know, and all of this. You know, I don't want to do this.
"[Prosecutor]: Okay. So, what you've got to talk about or what we've asked you to come here to talk about, is that humiliating to you to do it in front of other people?
"[G.W.B.]: (Nods head)
"[Prosecutor]: Would it make you feel more comfortable to testify if we asked some of these people to leave the courtroom? You understand the ladies and gentlemen sitting here right in front of you, they're the jury. They'll need to stay and listen to you; okay? But would it make you to feel more comfortable if we asked other people to step outside for a few minutes?
"[G.W.B.]: I just — I'd — you know, I'd feel better if I could call and talk to my dad or something a little bit. I just" you know, this is just all coming up at one time, you know, it's —
"[Prosecutor]: Okay. All right.
"[G.W.B.]: I'd rather — you know, he's got all of his people in here. I ain't got my people, none of my family or nobody in here, you know. I just rather — I just want to talk to my dad?
"[Prosecutor]: Your father is here. He's out in the hallway. Because he's a witness, he can't be in the courtroom. Would it make you feel better if you could have a few minutes to talk to your father?
"[G.W.B.]: Please."
G.W.B. was given time by the trial court to speak with his father. In the meantime, the following colloquy occurred:
"[Prosecutor]: Judge, [G.W.B.] was on the stand and had indicated a reluctance to talk about an embarrassing matter in front of . . . other people in the courtroom. We would ask that, due to the nature of the testimony and the impact upon this witness as he testifies, we would ask that spectators in the courtroom be asked to step outside during his examination so that he can feel more comfortable and can talk openly with the jury.
"[The Court]: Okay.
"[Defense counsel]: Judge, that's not what I heard him say. That was what was suggested to him, but he just said, `I just don't want to talk about it here in front of people.' I don't know whether he meant the jury or anybody else. It was suggested to him the other people in the courtroom, but the witness didn't say that. And obviously, we have open *Page 370 courtrooms in this state. And the State has brought people in. I don't see what the relevance of the motion is.
"[Prosecutor]: Well, I mean, let's talk about exactly what he did say. He said `he,' meaning the defendant, has all of his people in here looking at me, and I don't have anybody. So, yeah, he did make a reference to a specific set of people. And he doesn't feel comfortable with all these people in here looking at him, all of `his,' meaning the defendant's people, looking at him. And we would ask — if it would make this witness feel more comfortable, we would ask these people, just for a few minutes, be asked to step outside the courtroom until he testifies."
G.W.B. returned to the courtroom after speaking with his father, and the trial court conducted a voir dire examination of him, as follows:
"[Trial court]: I understand that this is uncomfortable and awkward for you, and, you know, you've been ordered here to testify. And I am sure it is not something that you're looking forward to.
"You understand that, you know, these are serious charges, and if there is something that you have to offer that will help this jury get to the truth" because that is the purpose of this matter is for this jury to get to the truth. If you've got something to offer that would help this jury get to the truth, then it's important that you testify; okay? Do you think you're ready to do that?
"[G.W.B.]: I'm ready. I just — you know, I was wanting my dad and my family, some family members of mine in here with me.
"[Trial court]: Okay. Well, is there anything that I can do to make you more comfortable about testifying?
"[G.W.B.]: No, ma'am. You're fine. I mean, it's all right.
"[Trial court]: Like I said, I understand that this is not pleasant, and I don't know what your testimony will be. I heard, I think, some point what somebody thinks you might testify to, and I am certain that it is not a pleasant experience for you. But you understand why it's important for you to testify if you have any information that will help the jury get truth in this case. I mean, that's all I'm ever after, is for the truth to come out in a case.
"[G.W.B.]: Yes, ma'am."
The trial court permitted G.W.B. to speak with his father a second time, after which, the trial court permitted the State to conduct a voir dire examination of G.W.B.:
"[Prosecutor]: What do you mean you want `some of your people'?
"[G.W.B.]: I don't know. I feel out-numbered.
"[Prosecutor]: Okay. What do you mean by `outnumbered'? When you say `his people were in here, and mine aren't,' who did you mean when you said `his'?
"[G.W.B.]: I don't know. I just know that I — I just feel something's out of place. I don't know. I don't know why I feel that way. But it don't —
"[Prosecutor]: Would it make you feel comfortable if the spectators were asked to stay outside while you testify?
"[G.W.B.]: Yes, sir."
Because G.W.B. had "verbalized hesitation about testifying," the trial court granted the State's motion to close the courtroom except for the jury and essential parties. Easterwood was allowed to choose one family representative to remain in the courtroom; he chose his mother. Easterwood renewed his objection to the *Page 371 closing of the courtroom, and the following colloquy took place:
"[Defense counsel]: We would again renew our objection, and I state this on even a higher plane maybe than I verbalized before. But the concern I have is that they have called a witness who says, okay, I feel like I'm — I don't have my people in here. He could. There's no reason not to. But the problem with the defendant, one of the main things of being able to face your accuser is the idea they have got to look at you and say something, and the same thing extends to family members and other people he may know.
"Folks don't — folks don't lie as much if they're confronted with people they've got to lie to their face on. It's just a known fact. And that, I think, is the genesis of all of our rules about open courtrooms, confronting your accusers. And I think this ruling arbitrarily takes away that right [of] a fair trial [from] the defendant and takes away the right of the citizens to come and be interested in this case by asking everybody to leave the courtroom at the request of one witness because he wants his family in here, is what I heard him say initially. And so, I just don't see this happening on this type of witness. I think it is detrimental. I think it violates due process of law to do this. And I think it shuts down the courtroom arbitrarily.
". . . .
"[Trial court]: All right. I'm not — well, I am fairly certain that the right of confrontation doesn't extend to extended family members of a defendant. It extends to the defendant and the defendant alone. And I am loathe to ever vacate the courtroom. However, statute has allowed for, you know, child victims to, in fact, testify in various ways so that they're not intimidated by this. And while this person is now an adult, the — I guess what he's going to be testifying to are acts that occurred during his childhood.
"And like I said, my interest is to get to the truth. I don't see in any way how the defendant's right to a fair trial is going to be impugned by this one victim — I mean, with one of the defendant's family members of his choice staving throughout the testimony."
"In all prosecutions for rape and assault with intent to ravish, the court may, in its discretion, exclude from the courtroom all persons, except such as may be necessary in the conduct of the trial; and, in all other cases where the evidence is vulgar, obscene or relates to the improper acts of the sexes and tends to debauch the morals of the young, the presiding judge shall have the right, by and with the consent and agreement of the defendant, in his discretion and on his own motion, or on the motion of the plaintiffs or defendants or their attorneys, to hear and try the said case after clearing the courtroom of all or any portion of the audience whose presence is not necessary."
The first independent clause of §
The second independent clause of §
"Rule 9.3(b) sets forth the right of a defendant to a public trial guaranteed by Article
I , §6 , Alabama Constitution of 1901. All criminal proceedings after arrest, other than grand jury proceedings, should be public. Jackson v. Mobley,157 Ala. 408 , 47 So. 590 (1908). The last sentence allows the court to remove persons whose conduct is disruptive of the proceedings or who present a threat of physical danger to others present. . . . It is intended that Ala. Code 1975, §12-21-202 , permitting exclusion of certain members of the public where the evidence is vulgar or obscene, will not be applicable to criminal proceedings."
(Emphasis added.)
Accordingly, we conclude that the Court of Criminal Appeals erred to the extent that it relied on §
In holding that closing the suppression hearing was unjustified and violated the defendants'
Waller,"[T]he Court has made clear that the right to an open trial may give way in certain cases to other rights or interests, *Page 373 such as the defendant's right to a fair trial or the government's interest in inhibiting disclosure of sensitive information. Such circumstances will be rare, however, and the balance of interests must be struck with special care."
Waller,"[1] [T]he party seeking to close the hearing must advance an overriding interest that is likely to be prejudiced, [2] the closure must be no broader than necessary to protect that interest, [3] the trial court must consider reasonable alternatives to closing the proceeding, and [4] it must make findings adequate to support the closure."
In Ex parte Judd,
On petition for a writ of certiorari, this Court discussed the relevant federal and state authorities on the issue of closure of the courtroom and the defendant's right to a public trial; it specifically adopted the test set forth in Waller for determining when a courtroom can be closed without violating the defendant's right to a public trial. Ex parteJudd, supra. This Court also discussed a distinction recognized in the cited authorities between a total closure of the courtroom and a partial closure. This Court stated:
"In United States v. Osborne,Ex parte Judd68 F.3d 94 (5th Cir. 1995), the Fifth Circuit addressed Waller by setting out the four-part Waller test quoted above and then distinguishing Waller in the following manner:"`There is a significant difference between Waller and the instant case, however. In Waller, the Supreme Court addressed a total closure of a suppression hearing, from which all members of the public were excluded. In the present case, the district court ordered only a partial closure of the proceedings, allowing all but one of the existing spectators to remain during the victim's testimony.
"`Prior to the Waller decision, this circuit [had] addressed the constitutionality of a partial closure in Aaron v. Capps, [
507 F.2d 685 (5th Cir.), cert denied,423 U.S. 878 ,96 S.Ct. 153 ,46 L.Ed.2d 112 (1975)]. In Aaron, this court held that, when considering a partial closure, a trial court should look to the particular circumstances of the case to see if the defendant will still receive the safeguards of the public trial guarantee. This court reasoned that the partial closing of court proceedings does not raise the same constitutional concerns as a total closure, because an audience remains to ensure the fairness of the proceedings."`Although this circuit has not had the opportunity to reexamine the constitutionality of a partial closing since the Waller decision, five other circuits have addressed the issue. The Second, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits have all found that Waiter's stringent standard does not apply to partial closures, and have adopted a *Page 374 less demanding test requiring the party seeking the partial closure to show only a "substantial reason" for the closure. As in this circuit's Aaron decision, these courts have all based their decisions on a determination that partial closures do not implicate the same fairness and secrecy concerns as total closures.'
"68 F.3d at 98-99 (emphasis original) (footnotes omitted). See also United States v. Farmer,
32 F.3d 369 (8th Cir. 1994); United States v. Galloway,937 F.2d 542 (10th Cir. 1991), affirmed on return to remand,963 F.2d 1388 (10th Cir. 1992); United States v. Sherlock,962 F.2d 1349 (9th Cir. 1989); Douglas v. Wainwright,714 F.2d 1532 (11th Cir. 1983), vacated and remanded,468 U.S. 1206 ,104 S.Ct. 3575 ,82 L.Ed.2d 874 , panel opinion reinstated,739 F.2d 531 (11th Cir. 1984); Geise v. United States,262 F.2d 151 (9th Cir. 1958)."Thus, the Federal courts have recognized the public interest in protecting young victims of crime, particularly young victims of sexual offenses, who are required to testify against the person accused of assaulting them. This interest provides the `substantial reason' called for in Osborne and the cases cited therein for a partial closure of a trial during the testimony of the minor victim. A `partial closure' usually means that the general public is excluded but that family and friends of the defendant are allowed to remain unless a specific reason for excluding them exists and, usually, that members of the press are allowed to remain."
This Court ultimately concluded in Ex parte Judd that the defendant had failed to properly preserve for the record "the proceedings on the motion to close the courtroom, the considerations that led to the closure of the courtroom, who was cleared from the courtroom, or whether the courtroom remained closed after the victim's testimony." Ex parteJudd,
Thereafter, the defendant petitioned the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to
In Judd v. Haley, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals noted that a violation of one's right to a public trial is a structural error that is a "`defect affecting the framework within which the trial proceeds, rather than simply an error in the trial process itself.'" Judd,
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals also discussed the distinction between a total closure of the courtroom and a partial closure and the applicable tests for each: *Page 375
"[W]e have recognized a distinction between total closures of proceedings, as in Waller, and situations where the courtroom is only partially closed to spectators. See Douglas v. Wainwright,Judd,739 F.2d 531 ,532 (11th Cir. 1984). When access to the courtroom is retained by some spectators (such as representatives of the press or the defendant's family members), we have found that the impact of the closure is not as great, and not as deserving of such a rigorous level of constitutional scrutiny. See id. at 533; Aaron v. Capps,507 F.2d 685 ,688 (5th Cir. 1975). Both partial and total closures burden the defendant's constitutional rights, and before either is undertaken, a court must `hold a hearing and articulate specific findings.' See Douglas,739 F.2d at 532 . However, in the event of a partial closure, a court need merely find a `substantial' reason for the partial closure, and need not satisfy the elements of the more rigorous Waller test. See id. at 533; United States v. Brazel102 F.3d 1120 ,1155 (11th Cir. 1997)."We have relatively little precedent on the right to a public trial generally, and have not specifically addressed the question of how to analyze the total clearing of a courtroom during a portion of a criminal trial. However, the precedent that we do have defines `partial closures' as situations in which the public retains some (though not complete) access to a particular proceeding. See Douglas,
739 F.2d at 532 ('The most important distinguishing factor is that Waller involved a total closure[,] . . . the press and the public having been specifically excluded, whereas Douglas entailed only a partial closure, as the press and family members of the defendant, witness, and decedent were all allowed to remain'). Nowhere does our precedent suggest that the total closure of a courtroom for a temporary period can be considered a partial closure, and analyzed as such."Furthermore, our prior cases have articulated the values that the Constitution's public trial guarantee seeks to protect, which include permitting the public to see that a defendant is dealt with fairly, ensuring that trial participants perform their duties conscientiously, and discouraging perjury. See id. at 531; Brazel,
102 F.3d at 1155 . These values are only moderately burdened when the courtroom is partially closed to the public, as certain spectators remain and are able to subject the proceedings to some degree of public scrutiny. However, a total closure of the courtroom, even for a temporary period, eliminates for a time the valuable role the presence of spectators can have on the performance of witnesses and court officials, and can create a public perception that the defendant is not being treated justly."Given these facts, we think that the only conclusion that can fairly be drawn from our precedent is that a total closure of a criminal trial during the presentation of evidence even for a temporary period, such as during the testimony of a particular witness, must be analyzed as a `total closure,' and subjected to the four-pronged test established in Waller. Notably, our sister circuits have also applied the stringent Waller test to circumstances in which the courtroom was completely cleared during the testimony of particular witnesses. See English v. Artuz,
164 F.3d 105 ,108 (2d Cir. 1998); Bell v. Jarvis,236 F.3d 149 ,165-66 (4th Cir. 2000)."
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals went on to conclude that this Court had an *Page 376 adequate record before it to properly evaluate the defendant's claim that he was denied his right to a public trial. The Eleventh Circuit concluded that a fair reading of the record indicated that the trial court had completely cleared the courtroom during the witness's testimony; thus, the trial court was obligated to apply the Waller test. The Eleventh Circuit further held that this Court's treatment of the defendant's federal claims was manifestly unfair and, therefore, inadequate for the purposes of the procedural-default doctrine.
The Eleventh Circuit applied the Waller test and concluded that the trial court failed to satisfy the fourth prong of that test, which requires the trial court to make adequate findings on the record to support its decision to close the courtroom. Thus, the Eleventh Circuit held that the defendant was entitled to habeas relief on his claim that his right to a public trial was violated. Judd,supra.3
Based on the authorities discussed above, we hold that before a trial court can order a total closure of the courtroom, even on a temporary basis, the four-prong test set forth inWaller must be satisfied:
"[1] [T]he party seeking to close the hearing must advance an overriding interest that is likely to be prejudiced, [2] the closure must be no broader than necessary to protect that interest, [3] the trial court must consider reasonable alternatives to closing the proceeding, and [4] it must make findings adequate to support the closure."Waller,
We now apply these principles to the facts presented by this case. The Court of Criminal Appeals concluded that the closure of the courtroom here amounted to a partial closure because, it reasoned, the trial court permitted Easterwood's mother to remain in the courtroom during G.W.B's testimony. Therefore, the Court of Criminal Appeals determined that theWaller test was not applicable. We disagree. A partial closure usually contemplates that the defendant's family, friends, and members of the press will remain in the courtroom. The record indicates that most, if not all, of the spectators in the courtroom were family and friends of Easterwood. If Easterwood's mother was the only person allowed to remain in the courtroom, it is doubtful that the constitutional considerations of the public-trial guarantee — promoting a fair trial, discouraging perjury, and ensuring that the prosecutor, judge, and jury act responsibly — could be adequately protected. Thus, we conclude that there was a de facto total closure of the *Page 377 courtroom in this case, which invokes the Waller test.
The trial court granted the State's motion to clear the courtroom because G.W.B., a 27-year-old convicted felon, had expressed a reluctance or hesitancy to testify in open court. G.W.B. stated that he was reluctant to testify because he was embarrassed by the nature of the testimony and because he felt "outnumbered" by the presence of Easterwood's "people" and the lack of his own. We also note that at one point during the colloquy with the trial court, G.W.B. announced that he was "ready" to testify. Additionally, in response to a question from the trial court asking whether there was anything that it could do to make G.W.B. more comfortable, G.W.B. responded "No, ma'am. You're fine. I mean, it's all right." Based on the above, we cannot say that, under Waller, an overriding interest was advanced that would justify the total closure of the courtroom in this case.
Accordingly, the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals affirming the judgment of the trial court is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
SEE, LYONS, WOODALL, STUART, SMITH, and MURDOCK, JJ., concur.
COBB, C.J., and PARKER, J., recuse themselves.
"(b) Spectators. All proceedings shall be open to the public, unless otherwise provided by law. Individuals may be removed from the courtroom for engaging in disorderly, disruptive, or contemptuous conduct, or when their conduct or presence constitutes a threat or menace to the court, parties, attorneys, witnesses, jurors, officials, or members of the public."
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Ex Parte Todd Olen Easterwood. (In Re Todd Olen Easterwood v. State of Alabama.).
- Cited By
- 14 cases
- Status
- Published