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Judiciary committee advances bill to let courts set online access to criminal case records
Summary
The House Judiciary committee voted to take up H.572, which would remove a statutory ban on Internet access to criminal case records and direct the courts to adopt rules for electronic public access; journalists and the state court administrator said rulemaking can address privacy and implementation concerns.
The Judiciary committee on Feb. 4 voted to take up House Bill H.572, a short-form bill that would remove a statutory prohibition on Internet access to criminal case records and direct the Vermont Supreme Court to promulgate rules governing public electronic access.
Michelle Childs, of the Office of Legislative Counsel, told the committee the draft amendment would strike the statutory ban in Title 12 and add language vesting procedures and access rules with the court, leaving specifics such as search limits and redaction protocols to the court rules process.
Journalists who testified said the change would make reporting more timely and efficient. Kristen Fountain, coordinator of the Vermont Journalism Coalition, said the current system forces reporters to rely on clerks to retrieve filings or to travel to courthouses and that electronic access…
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