Florida Moves To Restrict Media Access To Stand Your Ground Case Records

[Tx4obama]

Florida Moves To Restrict Media Access To Stand Your Ground Case Records

After a Tampa Bay Times' review of 200 cases that involved the controversial "Stand Your Ground" law found an "uneven application" and "shocking outcomes," one Florida lawmaker is seeking to impede the media's ability to scrutinize the law.

Earlier this month, state Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach) filed an amendment that would "severely limit access to court records in the self-defense cases," the Times' Michael van Sickler reports.

The amendment would allow those found innocent in a Stand Your Ground case to "apply for a certificate of eligibility to expunge the associated criminal history record."

Gaetz said his amendment was unrelated to the Times' Stand Your Ground investigation, the Associated Press reports. "The point is to ensure that someone who appropriately uses a Stand Your Ground defense doesn't have their life ruined by the use of that defense," he said.

-snip-

Full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/24/stand-your-ground-records_n_5007847.html

[phleshdef]

1. To be honest, I agree with people who are found innocent having their records cleaned.

At least, in principle, I agree with that.

The problem isn't expunging records, the problem is the fact that Stand Your Ground laws exist at all.

What they should do here is setup a way to keep vital data about the cases that are used for this type of reporting available in such a way that doesn't reveal the identity of the people who were exonerated.