From The Denver Post:  Talk about music to our ears. Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour this week issued a strong defense of press freedom and public scrutiny of the judicial process, in an opinion as blunt and clear-headed as any in recent memory.

The occasion was a request by the defense in the trial of James Holmes in the Aurora theater shooting, which was partly supported by the prosecution, to close jury selection to the public and the media.

Prospective jurors might be intimidated and less than candid if journalists were in attendance, they argued, and more likely to know what questions were going to be asked.

Fiddlesticks, the judge responded — although in much more precise and measured prose.

Why would prospective jurors feel intimidated by reporters who won’t have access to their names or contact information, will never see juror questionnaires once they’ve been filled out, and who will be watching the proceedings not from the courtroom but via closed-circuit TV?

Visit The Denver Post for more.