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TheCoelacanth • yesterday at 2:32 PM • 7 replies • view on HN

Secret courts are anathema to democracy and need to be abolished.


Replies

Tangurena2 • yesterday at 3:45 PM

The 6th Amendment was written to prevent secret courts. The English Star Chamber was frequently secret and you could be put on trial without knowing what evidence/testimony was brought against you. The Star Chamber was also why the 5th Amendment exists.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Chamber

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights

rdiddly • yesterday at 3:56 PM

A secret court is arguably not even a court. It provides no legitimacy whatsoever. It's a bunch of people in a room making a decision. I don't understand why they even bother. Just conduct your dictatorship by issuing decrees over a Zoom meeting.

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tastyfreeze • yesterday at 3:15 PM

I came to say the same thing. The secret courts and even the administrative agency courts should not exist. They are a violation of our rights. Any court where the prosecution, judge and jury are all government employees is a gross abuse of authority.

rnd0 • yesterday at 4:31 PM

Democracy has been deprecated in the United States, and will be removed in a future 'election'.

rstuart4133 • today at 12:40 AM

In Australia are have organisations with titles like "Independent Commission Against Corruption". Their remit is to investigate political corruption and corruption in the public service (like say the police). They come in two flavours. In some states their deliberations are done in public. In other states they are secret.

Over time it's become evident open model is far, far more effective at ensuring the public has confidence the people running the place are doing the right thing. It does risk the occasional unwarranted "witch hunt". But that threat ensures powerful people avoid doing things that while above board, could arouse public suspicion. Less suspicious acts mean higher trust in the government.

likoya • yesterday at 7:31 PM

The us constitution has been destroyed one step a time. It's dead letter now.

bliteben • today at 12:52 AM

The root of the question though is "Is secrecy an anathema to democracy?"