Arizona Supreme Court says anonymous juries constitutional

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court says state courts can keep juror identities secret even if they provide no reasoning for the decision. Tuesday’s ruling rejected a challenge from a southern Arizona journalist who argued that the right to observe trials included access to the names of jurors who decide the fate of people charged with crimes. The unanimous ruling written by Vice Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer turned away arguments made by attorneys for the publisher of the Cochise County Record. David Morgan said that withholding identities during the jury selection process without a compelling reason violated the First Amendment. The decision continues an ongoing movement in some American courts toward allowing the identities of jurors who traditionally been named to be kept secret.