Carter v. State

BELL, Chief Judge.

The sole question presented by this case is whether a trial court’s closure of a courtroom during the testimony of a 14-year-old victim of sexual abuse, without making a case-specific finding of fact on the record demonstrating a sufficient basis for the action, violates the accused’s Sixth Amendment right to a public trial. In an unreported opinion, the Court of Special Appeals concluded that, under the facts of this case, the trial court’s actions did not violate the accused’s right to a public trial. We shall reverse.

I

The petitioner, Robert Ciana Carter, was charged in a…