From the Legal Hotline

By Teri Henning, General Counsel; Melissa Melewsky, Media Law Counsel
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association

Q: Are the names and addresses of jurors impaneled in a criminal trial public? Isn’t the jury array already a public record?

A: The jury array is a public record under 42 Pa.C.S. § 4524. In a May 2007 decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the names of jurors impaneled for a criminal trial were public, but their addresses were not.

In Commonwealth v. Long, 2007 WL 1574157, Pa. 5/31/07, the Tribune-Review Publishing Company intervened in a murder trial to learn the identity of the sitting jurors. In its May 31, 2007 decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that names of jurors in criminal trials are presumptively public, but their addresses are not. In so ruling, the Court overturned the prior decision of the Superior Court. To find the case [CLICK HERE].

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