State-by-state guide:

Minnesota

Minn. Stat. Ann. § 260.155(1) (1998); Minn. R. Juv. Ct. Proc. R. 2.01 (1998); Minn. Juv. Ct. Proc. R. 18.04 (1998): Members of the public are excluded from hearings unless the court finds they have a direct interest in the case or the workings of the court. However, the court is open in delinquency proceedings where the child is charged with an offense that would be felony if committed by an adult and the child was at least 16 years old at the time the offense was committed. The court may exclude portions of a transfer hearing from the public. The court shall open the certification hearings to the public in proceedings where the child is alleged to have committed an offense or has been proven to have committed an offense that would be a felony if committed by an adult and the child was at least 16 years of age at the time of the offense. The court may exclude the public from portions of a transfer hearing to consider psychological material or other evidence that would not be accessible to the public in an adult proceeding.

Minn. Stat. Ann. § 260.161(2) (1998): In general, except for the proceedings that are open under Minn. Stat. Ann. § 260.155(1), records from juvenile court proceedings are closed to the public, absent a court order to the contrary. The court shall retain records of a court finding that a juvenile committed an act that would be a felony or gross misdemeanor level offense until the offender reaches the age of 28. Furthermore, the following records involving child in need of protection or services are open to the public, unless the court determines that access should be restricted because of the intensely personal nature of the information: the summons and petition, affidavits of publication and service, certificates of representation, court orders, hearing and trial notices, witness lists, subpoenas, motions, legal memoranda, exhibits introduced at hearings or trial, and birth certificates. These records become inaccessible to the public if one year has elapsed since either the proceeding was dismissed or the court’s jurisdiction over the matter was terminated. In addition, records relating to an appeal from a nonpublic juvenile court proceeding, except the written appellate opinion, are closed to the public except by court order. A photograph may be taken of a child taken into custody, provided that the photograph is destroyed when the child reaches the age of 19 years. Finally, a person who receives access to juvenile court or peace officer records of children that are not accessible to the public may not release or disclose the records to any other person except as authorized by law.

Forbidding publication: The Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld an order that forbade the media to publish information about a pending dependency and neglect proceeding because the information was legally obtained from public records and independent sources. Minneapolis Star and Tribune Co. v. Schmidt, 360 N.W.2d 433 (Minn. Ct. App. 1985).

Forbidding publication: The Minnesota Court of Appeals held that an order forbidding publication of lawfully obtained information about a juvenile proceeding was an unconstitutional prior restraint. Minneapolis Star and Tribune Co. v. Lee, 353 N.W.2d 213 (Minn. Ct. App. 1984).

Parental rights proceeding: The Minnesota Supreme Court held that it was proper for a lower court to allow a reporter to attend a proceeding regarding the termination of parental rights, because the newspaper had an interest in the work of the court and this interest was weighed against those of the parties. The court noted that the news media had a strong interest in obtaining information regarding our legal institutions and an interest in informing the public about how judicial power in juvenile courts is being exercised. The court concluded that no harm would occur to the parents or the children by having the reporter present, especially because the reporter promised not to reveal the names or addresses of the parties. In re R.L.K., 269 N.W.2d 367 (Minn. 1978).

Access restricted: The Minnesota Court of Appeals permitted the media to attend a trial involving criminal sexual conduct against juveniles on the condition that it not report any identifying information about juveniles. Austin Daily Herald v. Mork, 507 N.W.2d 854 (Minn. Ct. App. 1993).