From hauling freight to holding judges accountable:
Mark Puente’s fight for courtroom access
Posted Saturday, December 13, 2025 10:40 am
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Episode 312 of "E&P Reports" - A Vodcast series hosted by Mike Blinder
When staff writer Mark Puente of The Marshall Project found himself blocked from entering a public courtroom, his instincts—and principles—kicked in. “This guy just thinks he’s gonna tell me to get lost, and I go away. Well, I’m not going away,” he said. Puente’s response wasn’t just about access; it was about accountability. “I wasn’t gonna leave. And if they would’ve told me to leave or ‘We don’t want problems,’ I would’ve quit my job that day because I believe that we have a mission, and the public has a right to know.”
The decision to stand firm was rooted in experience and a clear sense of duty. “I—as soon as I was told I couldn’t go in and once I got in that side room, I immediately called my boss,” he recalled. “So the support was there. He notified his boss, and they never once said leave.”
Not backing down, but staying respectful
Puente’s approach to confrontation is deliberate and disciplined. While some might react emotionally to being denied access, he chose professionalism. “I was very polite. I’m a professional. I was not gonna let them bully me into leaving,” he said. He made it clear that this wasn’t about defiance for its own sake. “If that’s what they were gonna, would’ve done, let the chips fall how the chips fall, because I was not leaving until I got answers.”
That approach reflects a consistent belief in accountability, regardless of political leanings. “I don’t know which way he leans. I, I do know the town is a, at one point, was a heavily Democratic town,” Puente noted of the judge involved. “But frankly, I, I don’t look at the judges or the public officials. I don’t care because there’s bad actors no matter what party stripes they’re wearing.”
Mark Puente is a member of The Press Club of Cleveland Board of Directors.
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