State-by-state guide:

Louisiana

La. Stat. Ann. ch. C, Art. § 879(B) (1998): Juvenile delinquency proceedings are to be open to the public when involving a crime of violence or when the juvenile is a repeat felony offender.

La. Stat. Ann. ch. C, Art. § 407 (1998): With the exception of delinquency hearings (§ 879(B)), child support proceedings, traffic violations and misdemeanor trials of adults, proceedings before the juvenile court shall not be public. However, the court will open the proceedings to the public when the alleged delinquent act committed by the child would be considered a crime of violence, or when the alleged delinquent act would constitute a second felony. In addition, the court may admit any other person to a juvenile proceeding "who has a proper interest in the proceedings or the work of the court."

Access granted: The Louisiana Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s decision which denied a newspaper and television station access to a videotape depicting a beating on a public school bus. The court held that the school board failed to demonstrate that the students had a reasonable expectation that their identity or their reaction to the crime would be shielded from public view. Louisiana v. Mart, 697 So.2d 1055 (La. App. 1997).