State v. Morales

Tufte, Justice.

[¶1] Bradley Joe Morales appeals a district court criminal judgment following a jury verdict finding him guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend. Morales argues a motion hearing, evidentiary hearing, and parts of his trial were closed to the public without the pre-closure analysis required by Waller v. Georgia , 467 U.S. 39 , 48, 104 S.Ct. 2210 , 81 L.Ed.2d 31 (1984), thus violating his right to a public trial guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. We reverse the judgment and remand for a new trial.

I

[¶2] During an argument with his ex-girlfriend, Morales stabbed her in the neck.…