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“Public access to judicial proceedings is consistent with the First Amendment and the common-law tradition that court proceedings are presumptively open to public scrutiny.”
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A judge has unsealed hundreds of pages of confidential records detailing a Vinton police officer’s disciplinary history, which could provide grounds for appeals in 55 federal criminal convictions. The Roanoke Times requested that the records be opened in the case of Craig Roger Frye, who has been suspended from work and banned from testifying in federal court. Frye’s termination, appeal, reinstatement and suspension played out largely behind closed doors until U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen in May announced he was calling for a reexamination of 55 closed criminal convictions because of newfound potential impeachment evidence against a police officer who had been involved in some way in each one. Cullen did not name Frye, but Frye pushed back against the chief prosecutor’s plan and the officer’s name became public. Prosecutors planned to disclose Frye’s background reports to defense attorneys in confidence, a process now ongoing based on disclosures last year. Cullen has said the material was not made available when the cases were pending, between 2005 and 2016. A short time after Cullen’s announcement, Frye sought to remove or correct details from his background reports that he said were inaccurate or painted him in a false light. As stated in case law, “public access to judicial proceedings is consistent with the First Amendment and the common-law tradition that court proceedings are presumptively open to public scrutiny,” Urbanski’s ruling said. Access to court records is protected like access to the courtroom, the judge said.
The Roanoke Times
Amid infighting over his anticipated appointment, the prospective pick for interim city manager has turned down the Charlottesville City Council’s job offer. Speaking to the media after the council convened its fourth closed meeting in the last eight days, Chief of Staff Paige Rice announced Tuesday that the council has offered the job to an internal candidate. A series of social media posts and official statements made by councilors since last Thursday have led to allegations of impropriety, racial insensitivity and mishandling of the hiring process. Several sources have said the city extended the offer to U.S. Army Human Resources Command Chief of Staff Sidney Zemp. City officials neither confirmed nor denied whether reports about the offer to Zemp are accurate.
The Daily Progress
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