Resolutions

Policy Statements & Resolutions

CONFERENCE OF CHIEF JUSTICES
CONFERENCE OF STATE COURT ADMINISTRATORS

Resolution 33
Endorsing and Supporting Public Access to Court Records:
Guidelines for Policy Development by State Courts

WHEREAS, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators requested the Joint Committee on Court Management to consider issues concerning public access to court records in light of emerging technologies, including the potential for electronic access to such records; and

WHEREAS, members of the Joint Committee have worked with a broad-based Advisory Committee to develop Public Access to Court Records: Guidelines for Policy Development by State Courts (the Guidelines) that has explored the numerous and complex issues concerning access to court records; and

WHEREAS, the Advisory Committee has held one public hearing and received hundreds of comments on drafts of the Guidelines; and

WHEREAS, the Guidelines have been prepared with the guidance of the Advisory Committee and the Joint Committee on Court Management, and incorporates comments received from all sources; and

WHEREAS, the Joint Committee has determined that the Guidelines will provide valuable assistance to state courts in the development of their own policies and court rules governing public access to court records;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators hereby agree to:

1. Endorse the Guidelines as a valuable tool for use in crafting court policy to address individual privacy concerns and public access requirements; and
2. Commend the Guidelines to each state as a starting point and means to assist local officials as they develop policies and procedures for their own jurisdictions.

Adopted as proposed by the CCJ/COSCA Court Management Committee in Rockport, Maine on August 1, 2002.