Hilo judge appears to
have reopened his court

Answer: On Feb. 11, Pyun issued a memo that appeared to end the closures.

But the matter was not completely decided. Jeffrey Portnoy, attorney for two Big Island newspapers, sought assurance through the state Supreme Court that Pyun would not close his court in the future.

On March 4 the Supreme Court closed Portnoy's case without giving that assurance, but noting that Portnoy could return to the high court if Pyun closes his court again.

Except for an initial incident on Dec. 21, Pyun's intentions were not entirely clear throughout the 7 1/2-week period that his closure policy was in effect.

During a bail hearing on Dec. 21, Pyun told a deputy public defender that his court was closed to the public "for security purposes."

The U.S. Supreme Court allows a court to be closed to the public if a judge gives a precise explanation of the reason for the closure. Pyun never did that.

On Dec. 23, following the deputy public defender's objection to closure, Pyun issued a memo that excluded some members of the public during certain times.

On Jan. 26, Circuit Judge Glenn Hara issued a ruling saying he did not have enough information to decide whether Pyun had a continuing policy of closing his court and refusing to say whether the Dec. 21 closure was wrong.

When Portnoy took the matter to the state Supreme Court, Pyun's lawyer failed to explain the judge's action, saying instead that the Big Island newspapers did not have a right to object.