When convicted bank robber Barry Douglas had his lawyers file a motion for a new trial, the document was filed under seal, which meant that no one but Douglas, the attorneys and the judge could see what are typically considered public documents. This secrecy drew some criticism as historically court documents in America are presumed to be public. "There is a strong constitutional presumption that all court proceedings should be open," said David Kairys, a professor at Temple's Beasley School of Law. "It goes back to the founding of the country."