Utah House narrows juvenile records access, gives judges discretion to close hearings and records

The Utah House on Feb. 23 passed House Bill 11, which revises who may attend juvenile court hearings and adds judicial discretion to close hearings and records.

Sponsor representatives described HB11 as a bipartisan, consensus measure supported by the governor, juvenile court judges, PTA and law enforcement. Under the bill, judges would have discretion to restrict attendance at hearings to those with a direct interest (parents, legal guardians and parties in abuse, neglect and dependency hearings), and delinquency hearings for juveniles 14 and older could be open in cases that would be felony-level offenses as adults, though the court may close hearings for good cause. The bill also adds discretion in the juvenile records section, lowering some ages to 14 to align with hearing provisions and correcting a technical flaw in record access dating logic.

Representative Bradshaw said he opposed the measure, warning it could make juvenile proceedings ‘‘more open for juveniles than they are for adults’’ and raising concerns that publicity-seeking juveniles might be incentivized to commit acts for attention. Bradshaw cited recent school gun incidents as evidence of troubling trends among youth and asked colleagues to reject the bill. The sponsor, Representative Manning, responded that without the bill courts lack discretion and that the measure aims to ‘‘carefully balance’’ child protection with appropriate public understanding. "This bill ... allows the courts to close any records for good cause," Manning said.

The House recorded the vote: 50 yes, 14 no, and the bill will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.

What happens next: HB11 moves to the Utah Senate. The floor debate centered on the balance between transparency and child protection; the transcript records the positions of proponents and opponents but no subsequent amendments or clarifying language were adopted on the floor.