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Resident asks Mason County commissioners to support public Zoom access to local court proceedings
Summary
A resident urged the commissioners to consider adopting a county ordinance to preserve or expand public remote access to court proceedings, arguing Zoom access is a transparency right protected by constitutional principles and common law.
John Smith, a member of the public, asked Mason County commissioners on March 4 to consider passing a county ordinance ensuring public Zoom access to local court proceedings, saying the change would protect disadvantaged residents who cannot attend in person.
"The public does not have the kind of open access to our courtrooms in this county ... that they have had and should have under the penumbra of the constitution," Smith said, adding that some court personnel, including Judge Cobb, have resisted broad use of remote access. Smith argued the issue implicates the First, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments and described it as a transparency question that belongs to the public rather than to court administrators.
Smith requested the commissioners' assistance and offered to discuss the matter further with county officials. Commissioners thanked Smith for his comments and his email but did not record any formal direction or action on the topic during the meeting.
