United States v. Fiske

DECISION

BLOMMERS, Judge:

Following arraignment, trial defense counsel requested that the hearing be closed “due to the nature of some information that will come out during the trial.” Ascertaining that the appellant understood his constitutional right to a public trial, that he desired to waive that right, and that the Government had no objection, the military judge granted the defense request. Spectators were barred from the remainder of the proceedings.1

This is the second case we are aware of in this decade that a military judge has closed an Air Force court-martial trial without a reason…