Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Public comments welcome June 30 on proposed rule changes for sealing records

The Washington Supreme Court Rules Committee has scheduled a public meeting to discuss proposed revisions to General Rule 15, dealing with the sealing and redacting of court records.

The meeting will be held on Monday, June 30 at 9:30 a.m. in the Supreme Court Reception Room, located in the Temple of Justice, Olympia. Members of the public are welcome to attend and to provide comment.

The proposed rule was first published for public comment by the Supreme Court in February of this year. Revisions are being considered to provide trial courts with guidance when considering motions to seal or redact court records.

Highlights of the proposed changes include:

• Incorporating current case law on sealing and redacting court records;
• Addressing the sealing of juvenile offender records;
• Providing a basis for sealing non-conviction adult and juvenile court records;
• Emphasizing that party names may not be redacted consistent with the principal that the existence of a sealed or redacted adult case is always available to the public.
• Providing that orders to seal or redact shall contain an expiration date unless specific to a juvenile record.

A full listing of the proposed changes, and public comments received by the Court Rules Committee can be found by clicking here.

A brief agenda of the meeting includes:

•  Welcoming remarks from Justice Charles Johnson, Supreme Court Rules Committee Chair.
•   Remarks on Proposed Amendments to GR 15:

1. Honorable Thomas Wynne, Snohomish County Superior Court, Data Dissemination Committee Chair and Judicial Information System (JIS) Committee Vice Chair (10 minutes).
2. Honorable J. Robert Leach, Court of Appeals, Data Dissemination Committee and JIS Committee (10 minutes).
3. Honorable C. Kenneth Grosse, Retired, Court of Appeals, Former Co-Chair JIS Committee and Data Dissemination Committee Chair (10 minutes).
4. Eric Stahl, Attorney, Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington (10 minutes)

• Remarks from Persons Signing-in to Comment. (Limited to 2 minutes per person)
• Closing Remarks—Justice Johnson.

Amendments to GR 15 were last made in 2006 to establish clear guidelines for judges to follow when sealing court records, including a requirement for judges to identify in writing the "compelling privacy or safety concern that outweighs the public interest".

The rule also advises that parties' wishes for secrecy does not by itself justify sealing records and that preference should be made to redact (or black out) specific information from a court record, rather than sealing an entire document.

CONTACT: Nanette B. Sullins, Administrative Office of the Courts 360.357.2124.

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