Courtroom access

A Florida appeals court on Wednesday refused the Tampa Tribune's request for an audio recording of a sentencing hearing. Although the court in question relied on digital equipment rather than a human court reporter to document the proceedings, the appellate panel found, only the written transcript is subject to public release.

The attorney who represented the Richmond Times-Dispatch in the landmark First Amendment case guaranteeing the public a right of access to attend criminal trials died on Wednesday. Alexander “Sandy” Wellford was 78, the newspaper said.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion Friday to stop the censorship of torture and abuse allegations that have arisen during the prosecution of five high-profile Guantanamo Bay detainees.

 A local sketch artist was told last week he could not draw in a Washington, D.C., courtroom during oral arguments in a Guantánamo Bay detainee case, according to Legal Times.