Access to Indiana Court Proceedings

Note: This page covers information specific to Indiana. For general information concerning access to and use of court proceedings see the Access to Courts and Court Records section of this guide.

Access to Illinois Court Proceedings

Note: This page covers information specific to Illinois. For general information concerning access to and use of court proceedings see the Access to Courts and Court Records section of this guide.

Access to Georgia Court Proceedings

Note: This page covers information specific to Georgia. For general information concerning access to and use of court proceedings see the Access to Courts and Court Records section of this guide.

Access to Florida Court Proceedings

Note: This page covers information specific to Florida. For general information concerning access to and use of court proceedings see the Access to Courts and Court Records section of this guide.

Access to District of Columbia Court Proceedings

Note: This page covers information specific to the District of Columbia. For general information concerning access to and use of court proceedings see the Access to Courts and Court Records section of this guide.

Access to California State Court Proceedings

Note: This page covers information specific to California. For general information concerning access to and use of court proceedings see the Access to Courts and Court Records section of this guide.

CMLP Launches New Legal Guide Section on Access to Government Information

Back in January, we began rolling out the Citizen Media Law Project's Legal Guide.

Subject Area:

Access to State and Federal Courts

Federal Courts

There are two ways in which you can get information from the federal court system, through attending court proceedings and through accessing court records. For more information, visit the following pages:

Practical Tips for Accessing Courts and Court Records

While we can't guarantee that you will get every court record or attend every court proceeding you desire, the following tips will help ensure that you take full advantage of the wealth of information available through state and federal courts.

Remedies if You Are Denied Access to Court Proceedings

You have a right to challenge a court's closure of a proceeding that you wish to attend. How you go about challenging such a closure will depend on whether you are present in the courtroom at the time the judge orders closure or whether you find out about it after the fact.

Responding to Closure Orders on the Spot

Access to Jury and Trial Participants

In addition to observing court proceedings and obtaining court records, you may contact and interview many of the participants in a civil lawsuit or criminal case. Bear in mind that the participants may not want to talk with you about the case, and that you cannot compel them to do so. We address some of the details below.

Juries

Jury Selection

State Court Records

All fifty states and the District of Columbia allow public access to their court records. While many of these state laws are similar to the law governing Federal Court Records, some variation exists on a state-by-state basis. Choose your state from the list below for state-specific information on accessing court records. (Note that this guide currently covers only the 15 most populous states and the District of Columbia. We hope to add additional states to the guide at a later date.)

State Court Proceedings

All fifty states and the District of Columbia allow public access to their court proceedings. As with federal courts, state court proceedings are presumed to be open to the public in most cases. However, some variation exists on a state-by-state basis. Choose your state from the list below for state-specific information on accessing state court proceedings. (Note that this guide currently covers only the 15 most populous states and the District of Columbia. We hope to add additional states to the guide at a later date.)

Federal Court Records

You can inspect and copy judicial records and documents filed in federal court. See Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc., 435 U.S. 589 (1978). However, your right of access is not absolute, and court documents may be sealed or the records may otherwise be restricted by the law (for example, to protect personal privacy or trade secrets).

Access to Federal Court Proceedings

Federal Criminal Proceedings

Trial Proceedings

As a member of the public, you have a right to attend criminal trials. See Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia, 448 U.S. 555, 580(1980). This includes the preliminary hearings, the jury selection process, and sentencing and plea procedures.

Access to Courts and Court Records

If you’re hunting for information, consider a visit to the courthouse, where you can sift through resource-rich court records or attend (sometimes colorful) court proceedings.

Courts are centers for dispute resolution. They are public forums in which societal norms and values, as reflected in laws, are used to address and correct wrongs. While a number of laws govern the court system, none is so deeply-ingrained as the presumption that court proceedings should be open to the public.

Access to Government Information

This section of the legal guide outlines the wide-array of information available to you from government sources. These sources range from your local city council all the way up to the largest agencies in the federal government. In fact, you might be quite surprised at how much information is available to you. And the best part is that you generally don't need to hire a lawyer or file any complicated forms -- you can access most of this information simply by showing up or filing a relatively simple request.

It's Sunshine Week!

Jurisdiction:

United States

Subject Area:

Oklahoma Curtails Online Access to Court Records

Earlier this week, the Oklahoma Supreme Court adopted new rules governing public access to court records, cutting off all public access to court records via the Internet and limiting public access to other information that has been available in the past.

Jurisdiction:

Oklahoma

Subject Area:

Peoria County Juvenile Court v. Hopkins

Date:

07/25/2007

Threat Type:

Denial of Access

Party Issuing Legal Threat:

Peoria County Juvenile Court, Judge Albert Purham, Jr.

Party Receiving Legal Threat:

Elaine Hopkins

Type of Party:

Government

Type of Party:

Individual

Court Type:

State

Court Name:

Peoria County Juvenile Court

Legal Counsel:

None

Legal Claims:

Access: Courts

Web Site(s) Involved:

PeoriaStory

Publication Medium:

Blog

Status:

Concluded

Description:

Elaine Hopkins, a blogger from Peoriastory.com and former newspaper reporter, sought to observe and cover a juvenile court hearing in Peoria, Illinois. After the assistant state's attorney Susan Lucas objected to Hopkins' presence in the courtroom, Judge Albert Purham, Jr. , citing Illinois' Juvenile Court Act, refused to allow Hopkins to remain in the courtroom for the proceedings, concluding that bloggers are not journalists under Illinois law.

Under the Illinois Juvenile Court Act, the general public, except for the "news media," are excluded from juvenile proceedings. See 705 ILCS 405/1-5 (6).

Hopkins reported on the incident in her blog, and the issue has received some sympathetic coverage in the local press. Hopkins did not take any legal action against the court or Judge Purham.

Jurisdiction:

Illinois

Subject Area:

Access to Courts

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