Abstract
For five consecutive terms the Supreme Court decided at least one major case concerning press scrutiny of our criminal justice system. The first four cases established the right of the press to publish information already in its possession. The last, Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia, focused on the right to obtain information. It established, for the first time, that the public, including media representatives, has a first amendment right to attend criminal trials. This Article discusses that right of access and how it should be defined, applied, and extended in future cases.