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

Print

Identifier

DP0022578

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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