Harrisburg, Pa., Aug 8, 2018 / 15:30 pm
The former chief justice of Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has warned that the release of a grand jury report into allegations of sexual abuse and coverups by the Catholic Church in that state could violate the constitutional rights of those named in the report.
In an Aug 6 column in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ronald D. Castile wrote that the state's Supreme Court initially halted the report's release because of "important constitutional issues," including "questions regarding due process, fairness, and deprivation of personal reputational rights."
"After reviewing the Supreme Court opinion, I agree that important constitutional rights are at risk of being denied because of issues pertaining to procedural aspects inherent in the Grand Jury Act and the impact on individual reputational rights."
Article 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution enshrines a person's right to possess and protect their good reputation, placing it on the same footing as life and liberty.