State-by-state guide:

Utah

Utah Code Ann. § 78-3a-115 (1998): In abuse, neglect, and dependency cases, the court shall exclude all persons who do not have a direct interest in the proceedings. But in delinquency cases where the minor charged is 14 years of age or older and has been charged with an offense which would be a felony if committed by an adult or if the minor is charged with an offense that would be a designated misdemeanor if committed by an adult and the minor has been previously charged with an offense, the court shall admit any person, unless court finds good cause to close the hearing.

Utah R. Juv. P. Rule 50 (1998): The public may attend juvenile delinquency proceedings at the discretion of the court. The court may exclude any person when it is in the best interest of the minor to do so. If any person, after having been warned, engages in conduct which disrupts the court, that person may be excluded from the courtroom. Any exclusion of a person who has the right to attend a hearing shall be noted on the record and the reasons for the exclusion given. Counsel for the excluded person has the right to remain and participate in the hearing.

Utah Code Ann. § 78-3a-206 (1999): By court order, juvenile records may be inspected by persons who have a legitimate interest in the proceedings. If a petition is filed charging a minor 14 years of age or older with an offense that would be a felony if committed by an adult, the court shall make available to any person upon request the petition, any adjudication or disposition orders, and the delinquency history summary of the minor charged unless the records are closed by the court for good cause. See also Utah Code Jud. Admin. R. 4- 202.03 (1998) (juvenile records are to be released to public by court order).

Access denied: The Utah Court of Appeals held that under § 78-3a-511, access to the proceedings in the juvenile court involving J.K., a person under sixteen years of age, is restricted to only those persons who have a direct interest in the case or in the work of the court, and that, as a matter of law, neither the general public nor the media have the requisite "direct interest" in the case or in the work of the court. As such, the juvenile court had no discretion to admit either the general public or the media to proceedings involving J.K. The Kearns-Tribune Corporation v The Honorable Kimberly K. Hornak, 917 P.2d 79 (Utah Ct. App. 1996).

Access denied: The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed a newspaper’s exclusion from a Utah juvenile court hearing to decide whether the court had jurisdiction to hear case where the juvenile was charged with a crime which would have been a felony if committed by an adult. The appellate court held that the trial judge has considerable discretion in deciding whether the media could attend hearings involving acts that would constitute felonies in the adult system. The court held that the presumption of openness under the First Amendment does not extend to juvenile proceedings, because the state has a compelling interest in maintaining the confidentiality of juvenile proceedings that outweighs the media’s right of access. In re N.H.B., 769 P.2d 844 (Utah Ct. App. 1989).