Court reverses decision on jury secrecy

The Missouri Supreme Court showed good judgment in reversing its earlier decision to close juror lists to the public.

The court's committee on criminal procedure drafted a rule that would have kept jurors' names secret. The case that started it all was the overturned murder conviction of Ellen Reasonover. Some national television shows wanted the list of the jurors in her case to get their reactions to the appellate ruling, and a St. Louis County court official expressed concerns to the Supreme Court.

Several Missouri media outlets, including the Southeast Missourian, editorialized against the secrecy rule. In a county as small as Cape Girardeau, it would be fairly simple to deduce who jurors are in a particular case without the court's help.

Judges always have had the power to keep jurors' names secret in certain cases. They retain that power.