We expect better from Belvin Perry. This past week the Orange-Osceola chief judge, who skillfully presided over the Casey Anthony trial, took aim at Florida's cherished right of public access to court records.
Perry's broadside was part of a court order that withheld the names of the Anthony trial jurors from the public until October. Such an order defies the normal and transparent practice in Florida trials of disclosing jurors' names after they have delivered their verdicts. It mocks the state's constitutional guarantee of open government.
Perry cited reports that Anthony trial jurors had been threatened by people outraged at their not-guilty verdicts. We appreciate his concern, but the safety of jurors is fundamentally the responsibility of police, not judges.
Unfortunately, this is only the latest in a series of moves by Perry that could end up being cited by other judges to choke off the flow of information in future court cases to the press and public alike.
Such a proposal from a judge of Perry's stature could be a lethal weapon in Tallahassee. The Legislature, as a whole, has been hostile to government in the sunshine. Many members would jump at the chance to attack it under political cover from a respected judge.
Perry couldn't be more wrong. It would be a terrible mistake for legislators to follow his lead.
