Jon Kyl: “Why do we need these rights? Suppose your daughter was raped and murdered and you wanted to attend the trial and you…”

“Why do we need these rights? Suppose your daughter was raped and murdered and you wanted to attend the trial and you were told that, under the law, you were going to have to sit outside the courtroom every day. The defendant, the defendant's family and friends, they can be in the courtroom, they can watch the trial, but you are going to have to sit outside on the bench in the hallway. That is not fair. It tears at the gut of those who have been victimized already by the commission of the crime that hurt or killed their loved one. Suppose you pick up the newspaper someday and read that the person who raped you, or assaulted you, is out on the street. He had been incarcerated. Your testimony helped put him there. You have no idea he is running free. His may be the knock on your door or the person at the other end of the telephone which rings. You did not get notice of his parole hearing. You could not even go down and tell the parole board how vicious a person this was and why they ought to think twice before releasing him on parole.”