Jerry Sandusky's Alleged Victims Lose Court Bid to Stay Anonymous

[DontSayBanana]

I certainly don't see the logic.  The defendant has a right to "confront" the witnesses against him, but that doesn't seem to be an issue here.  If Sandusky and his attorney don't object to the identity of the accusers being kept secret, I don't see where they have a "duty" to have their identities revealed.

There's a difference between the court actively "outing" witnesses and declaring it's not going to go outside of normal operations to protect their privacy.  They've already got wrangling to do, since there's already buzz about the juror pool (which is supposed to be kept secret).  They've got a leak, and they need to plug it, stat, before somebody calls for a mistrial.

[Martinus]

Not directly related to this case, but don't you think that the right to privacy is slowly becoming a thing of the past? We are reaching a point that pretty much every information about everyone is accessible on the internet so protection of privacy in individual cases becomes more of an arbitrary fiat rather than an equal standard. Perhaps it's about time we realized that and threw the door wide open - at least if we know everything about everyone there will be less hypocrisy.

Edit: Same really goes with a ban or restriction on publication - it could work when the publication sources were few, identified and institutionalized. In the day of the internet, there are potentially few billion publishers on the planet with an access to a few billion audience each - how do you ban a publication in that environment?

[jimmy olsen]

Speaking of the Jury, looks like it's full of Penn. Staters

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--jerry-sandusky-jury-will-include-penn-state-students-and-fans.html;_ylt=AmmnRiu5jg7WWhwQhMh02S85nYcB

[Caliga]

Speaking of the Jury, looks like it's full of Penn. Staters

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--jerry-sandusky-jury-will-include-penn-state-students-and-fans.html;_ylt=AmmnRiu5jg7WWhwQhMh02S85nYcB

Shocking, given the fact that the trial is in Centre County.

[jimmy olsen]

Creepy third person love letters incoming!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/jerry-sanduskys-love-letters-alleged-victim-revealed/story?id=16501341#.T89DssWT95d

[Valmy]

Shocking, given the fact that the trial is in Centre County.

They should have moved that trial to someplace else in Pennsylvania.  Someplace with objective people like Pitt grads...oh wait.

But seriously though that judge's...well....judgements are really suspect in the early going.

Hopefully this new love letter bombshell will move this thing to an easy conviction.

[The Minsky Moment]

The key portion of the judge's ruling was not excerpted in the article.

It's the part that says: "[T]here is no support in Pennsylvania law for offering anonymity to an adult witness because the witness is one of a class of victims of a particular form of crime."

[Admiral Yi]

The key portion of the judge's ruling was not excerpted in the article.

It's the part that says: "[T]here is no support in Pennsylvania law for offering anonymity to an adult witness because the witness is one of a class of victims of a particular form of crime."

Really?  So rape victims are routinely outed in PA?

[CountDeMoney]

The key portion of the judge's ruling was not excerpted in the article.

It's the part that says: "[T]here is no support in Pennsylvania law for offering anonymity to an adult witness because the witness is one of a class of victims of a particular form of crime."

Really?  So rape victims are routinely outed in PA?

Are rape victims one of a class of victims of a particular form of crime?

[Admiral Yi]

Are rape victims one of a class of victims of a particular form of crime?

Take a nap dude.  The Wisconsin thread has mellowed out.

[CountDeMoney]

Are rape victims one of a class of victims of a particular form of crime?

Take a nap dude.  The Wisconsin thread has mellowed out.

Oh, I get it.  Only Yi can use the Yicratic Method.  Foul. 

Seriously though, the judge is not making an exception for adults who were child victims.  That would created a separate class of child sexual abuse.

[Admiral Yi]

Anyone can use the Yicratic method.  You just suck at it.

Rape victims are a special class of adult crime victims.  In most jurisdictions their identity is shielded.  Joan's quoted statement suggests that in Pennsylvania they are not.

[CountDeMoney]

Anyone can use the Yicratic method.  You just suck at it.

:EdSchutzmiddlefinger:

Rape victims are a special class of adult crime victims.  In most jurisdictions their identity is shielded.  Joan's quoted statement suggests that in Pennsylvania they are not.

Rape victims are shielded in PA;  but he's not being charged with Rape Rape.

[DGuller]

They should've thought about privacy before they let themselves get raped.

[The Minsky Moment]

Really?  So rape victims are routinely outed in PA?

I don't think they are usually permitted to testify under a pseudonym.