The judicial branch of government in Staunton suffered a collective brain freeze this fall when a prosecutor and a judge decided to block public access to normally available search warrants.
It all started when a secretary in the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, looking to cut down on paperwork and interviews, drafted a blanket order to seal all search warrants.
It got worse when the secretary’s boss agreed to run the order by a judge to see if he’d sign it, and worse still when Judge Humes J. Franklin Jr. did!
Public access to search warrants is constitutionally guaranteed and can only be sealed based on specific facts.
Prosecutor Ray Robertson told a News Virginian reporter to “stop bothering” him when the reporter questioned the decision, but a day after the newspaper’s article detailing the order appeared, Robertson said the order was being rescinded.
Editorially, the News Virginian stated it was pleased the episode had ended in favor of the public’s right to know, but it still questioned Robertson’s motivation.
“The judicial, executive and legislative branches at all levels need to know that secrecy breeds corruption, and transparency breeds better government.”