Question
Robert Donner was released from prison in 2019 and headed to West Virginia. The convicted sex offender, who had served 5 years for child molestation,
Robert Donner was released from prison in 2019 and headed to West Virginia. The convicted sex offender, who had served 5 years for child molestation, settled in a small town in the Eastern Panhandle. His status as a convicted sex offender was unknown to town residents. Donner took a job in a gas station and became a good neighbor to the people living near the small house he rented. He befriended a family nearby and happily agreed to babysit for the couples' small children, a girl, 9, and a boy, 6, as both parents often worked. On a Monday afternoon in early 2021, Donner went to his neighbor's home, killed both parents, and kidnapped the children. As he fled a region-wide manhunt began. The state issued Amber alerts for the missing children. Press coverage on the murders, kidnapping, and the ensuing manhunt was massive. Scores of stories were published and broadcast about Donner, his past criminal history, the murders, and the kidnapping. Ten days after the murders Donner was sighted in a caf in North Carolina with the little girl. Police arrested him. The child told police Donner had molested the boy repeatedly, and then killed him. His body was found in a shallow grave at a highway rest stop. More publicity flooded the region about the crimes, the killings, and the arrest. After Donner was arraigned Judge Sylvia Mulder issued a restrictive order barring the press from carrying any stories about Donner's past criminal history, and stories that discussed what the girl had told police about the fate of her brother. The judge said such stories could be prejudicial to the defendant. The child was scheduled to testify in court as a prime witness against Donner, who had pleaded not guilty. Judge Mulder informed the press that the courtroom would be closed during the girl's testimony to protect her from embarrassment and any psychological harm that might accrue from talking about her ordeal in a room full of strangers. The judge said a transcript of the girl's testimony would be released after her appearance. The press appealed both the restrictive order and the closure order. Would the appellate court uphold these orders or not? a. The restrictive order. b. The closure order.
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