The Wyoming Legislature’s judiciary committee has rejected a proposed bill that would have mandated online access to all court records. The bill, known as The People’s Right to Judicial Transparency bill, would have required the courts to make all records available for public viewing at no cost through an online portal.
Concerns Over Privacy and Costs
However, judges and representatives from Casper and Mills expressed concerns over the potential unintended consequences of the bill, including privacy issues and the financial burden of implementation. Circuit court judge Matt Castano questioned whether the public should have access to sensitive information, such as divorce filings and probate cases, which could lead to unwanted solicitations.
Deputy Legal Services Administrator Brian Fuller explained that the bill’s language applied to a wide range of documents, including pleadings, filings, motions, orders, judgments, evidence, and case metadata. Attorney Elizabeth Grill noted that case files could include sensitive information such as patents, trade secrets, and disturbing videos and photos.
District court judge Dawnessa Synder pointed out that the exceptions listed in the bill did not include involuntary hospitalizations and other cases with protected information. She also noted that while current records are redacted, oversights can occur, and livestreaming court proceedings could lead to irreversible breaches of privacy.
Elisa Butler, the state’s lead court administrator, mentioned that the courts have already been working to make E-filing available for attorneys and to assist the public in using public terminals to handle their own paperwork.
Casper’s city attorney Eric Nelson highlighted the unique situation of municipal courts, which are funded by city budgets and would not have received any of the $100,000 allocated for implementation. Casper Mayor Ray Pacheco estimated that redacting records alone would require a new full-time position, and the funding provided would be temporary while the obligation would be permanent.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
