There is a good reason for the presumption of public access to public records including court files. The consequences of preventing public access can be very bad, indeed.
There have so far been no worse consequences than hiding the sex-trafficking and sex-abuse behavior of people like Jeffrey Epstein. I just finished reading Perversion of Justice / The Jeffrey Epstein Story, by Julie K. Brown (2021). Ms. Brown deserves tremendous credit for her outstanding dedication to journalism and, in the final analysis, to the truth itself.
The book is upsetting on several levels, not the least of which is the sealing of a great deal of the evidence of Jeffrey Epstein's behavior, so that the public could not see it and, in many instances, still are not allowed to see it. As Ms. Brown writes: "Judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement and prison officials contribute to the maelstrom by condoning the sealing and redaction of public records pertaining to Epstein's crimes on such a large scale.... This only sows mistrust and suspicion and undermines our justice system. It's one thing to seal records to protect Epstein's victims; it's another to keep them secret to cover up crimes." Julie K. Brown, Perversion of Justice 579-80 (2021).
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