State v. Lormor

¶1 — This case asks us to determine whether the removal of a person from the courtroom, under the facts in this case, was a closure in violation of the right to a public trial, and, if so, whether such "closure” can be considered too trivial as to implicate a defendant’s constitutional rights. We hold that the exclusion of one person is not a closure that violates the defendant’s public trial right but instead is an aspect of the court’s power to control the proceedings. In this case, under an abuse of discretion standard, the trial court judge’s removal of the defendant’s young daughter was…