This case involves an unprecedented public-trial violation claim like no other brought before this Court. The record here reflects, that during a jury trial in state court, in a blanket order and for no stated reason at all, the courtroom was completely closed to the public during the testimony of five prosecution witnesses, that no evidence of any kind was ever presented, supporting the need for the closure, and the only reason for the closure was because the prosecutor asked.

The question presented here is: 1) whether the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit improperly applied both Weaver v. Massachusetts, 137 S.Ct. 1899 (2017) and AEDPA, and 2) whether the Michigan trial court violated the Sixth Amendment public-trial right when it closed the courtroom to the public during the testimony of five prosecution witnesses without adequate justification.

Whether the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit improperly applied Weaver v. Massachusetts and AEDPA, and whether the Michigan trial court violated the Sixth Amendment public-trial right when it closed the courtroom to the public during the testimony of five prosecution witnesses without adequate justification