A judge's duty to sheppard the media in celebrity trials when constitutional rights collide
Abstract
The notion that pretrial media coverage impacts the judicial process of highly publicized trials is not limited to contemporary times. This study sheds light on the modem day issues that pretrial media surrounding celebrity criminal cases imposes on the United States judicial system and juries. A literature review examines the conflict between the First, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to free press and fair trials, the impact of prejudicial pretrial media, precedents established in case law, and remedies that the courts use to limit the effects of prejudicial media. Expanding upon the literature review, the study next analyzes the public's view on crime, the media's manipulation of celebrity criminal trials, social and psychological theories on pretrial publicity, problems with current remedial measures, and specific celebrity case examples. The study provides a comprehensive analysis examining each individual aspect in determining the overall effect pretrial media has on celebrity criminal cases. The media is an essential part of society, but its reporting of the pretrial stages of celebrity criminal court cases impacts the jury's ability to give a celebrity defendant a fair trial.
Notes
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Thesis Completion
2010
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Wood, Robert
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
College
College of Health and Public Affairs
Degree Program
Legal Studies
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs;Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic
Format
Identifier
DP0022578
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Document Type
Honors in the Major Thesis
Recommended Citation
Reyer, Sarah D., "A judge's duty to sheppard the media in celebrity trials when constitutional rights collide" (2010). HIM 1990-2015. 1043.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1043