As soon as we start treating people differently, two things happen: 1) the idea of people being treated equally goes out the window and 2) everyone starts claiming, “My case is special and/or I am special, so give my case and/or me special treatment.” And “give me special treatment” often means “give me an unfair advantage.”
That stated, we must acknowledge that there are some jackals in the news media who might, through their incessant and often dishonest coverage of the divorce proceedings of a famous person (be he/she a celebrity, a politician, or famous for his/her great wealth) that might warrant or even necessitate taking (dare I say it) special measures to ensure that justice and equity are not impeded. Unfortunately, once provisions are made for exceptions, most people (and their lawyers) will try to exploit measures intended to ensure fairness to gain an unfair advantage.
Keeping legal proceedings open to public scrutiny is the best ways (among many other important, but nevertheless less effective ways) to keep the courts, court personnel, the lawyers, and the litigants honest. Public access does not guarantee pure honesty, truth finding, and fair judgment, but can you imagine how much worse things would be if such proceedings took place in private?
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