Description
Book SynopsisThe improbable story of a modest-sized Southern California newspaper and its lawyer, who took two cases to the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1980s, winning them both and establishing First Amendment rights that significantly expanded public access to the American judicial system.
Trade Review"The considerable research, numerous interviews, and primary documentation combine to make
Justice in Plain Sight a comprehensive look at two landmark cases and the underdog newspaper that ensured that the justice process can't operate in secret."—Jeff Fleischer,
Foreword Reviews"Whether you're a lawyer or a history buff, you will enjoy reading about how an unlikely small-town Riverside newspaper and lawyers successfully fought to open public access to criminal proceedings in the United States."—Theresa Han Savage,
Riverside Lawyer"
Justice in Plain Sight provides a timely and intriguing glimpse at the operation of an earlier Supreme Court, which was functioning in the aftermath of the political and social upheaval of the 1970s."—Kim Himstreet,
Bend Bulletin"It is one thing for an attorney litigating an access case today to know and memorize the Press-Enterprise test. But as Bernstein’s book reveals, it is a far more interesting thing to understand the backstory about how that rule evolved and to appreciate the hard-fought efforts of so many people that went into it."—Clay Calvert,
Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books“Dan Bernstein’s new book disproves two stereotypes about history: First, that it’s made only by the famous, and second, that it’s boring. This is a tale of small-town heroes, newspaper professionals, and lawyers. . . . In Dan’s capable hands, it’s smart, funny, and above all, enlightening.”—George Rodrigue, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and president and editor of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer “I simply loved
Justice in Plain Sight. It is like a fairy tale with a landscape populated by now-extinct beasts. . . . For those who want to understand what journalism can mean to a community, here’s a well-told story of a very good newspaper.”—Donald E. Graham, former publisher of the
Washington Post“As courts and the media today face political criticism and threats, Bernstein’s story of the paper’s landmark victories is a timely reminder of how crucial public access is to the integrity of our judicial system.”—Marcia Coyle, chief Washington correspondent of the
National Law Journal and author of
The Roberts Court: The Struggle for the Constitution“A suspenseful, true-life legal page-turner about honest men and women standing up for freedom. A thoroughly compelling and engaging read.”—Jonathan Eig,
New York Times best-selling author of
Ali: A Life“The doors of America’s courtrooms are open today because one small newspaper in California refused to let justice take place in secret.
Justice in Plain Sight is a long-overdue look at the legal fight that changed the history of the First Amendment.”—David E. McCraw, vice president and deputy general counsel, the New York Times Company
“This book, which tells the highly interesting story behind two Supreme Court precedents, has it all: heinous crimes, protective judges, dogged journalists, skilled local lawyers, captious Supreme Court justices, and a very fortunate public that, thanks to the
Press-Enterprise, secured a First Amendment right to attend jury selection and preliminary hearings.”—James T. Hamilton, Hearst Professor of Communication at Stanford University
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Prologue
1. “They Can’t Do That, Can They?”
2. “You’ll Never See Your Daughter Again”
3. Slamming the Door
4. The “Thrill-Killer” Nurse
5. The Hays-Cherniss Newspaper
6. “They Won’t Laugh at You Now”
7. “Mr. Everything”
8. The Battleground
9. Building the Case
10. The Diaz Case Advances
11. Mr. Ward Goes to Washington
12. The Audience of Nine
13. “I Will Be Back”
14. “The Presumption of Openness”
15. A Halt to the “Ominous Progression”?
16. Smacked Down Again
17. “Expanding the Right of Access”
18. Needle in a Haystack
19. “The Soil of Openness”
20. “Hands over His Face”
21. “Safeguard against the Corrupt and Eccentric”
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
