Nevada

Delinquency proceedings: Juvenile delinquency hearings are open to the public in Nevada unless the judge determines that closure or partial closure is in the best interests of the child or the public. In those cases, only people with a direct interest in the case may be admitted. Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 62D.010 (West 2011).

Delinquency records: Juvenile delinquency records generally are not open for public inspection except by court order to people with a legitimate interest in the records. Id. § 62H.030. A separate statutory provision prohibits a news medium from publishing or broadcasting the name or race of any child connected with any delinquency proceeding without court order unless the proceeding is open to the public. This restriction does not apply, however, in cases where: 1) the child previously has been adjudicated delinquent at least once for a crime that would have been a felony if committed by an adult that resulted in death or serious bodily injury and the child is charged with committing another crime that would be a felony if committed by an adult; and 2) the child previously has been adjudicated delinquent at least twice for crimes that would have been felonies if committed by an adult and the child is charged with committing another such act. Id. § 62H.020. The state Supreme Court held that nothing in the statute limits the class of people who can have a legitimate interest in juvenile records, and courts have wide discretion to determine which individuals qualify. In exercising this discretion, a court must balance the need of the requesting party against the interests of society in keeping certain juvenile court records confidential. Hickey v. Eighth Judicial Dist. Court, 782 P.2d 1336, 1339 (Nev. 1989). Note that the court was interpreting a different statutory provision that has since been repealed, but nearly identical language from the old statute was recodified into the new one, so the case’s authority is most likely still applicable.

Dependency proceedings: Whether dependency proceedings are open to the public depends largely on where they occur. All hearings involving children in need of protection statewide are closed to the general public unless the court on the motion of another person or on its own determines that opening the hearing is in the best interests of the child involved. In deciding whether opening the hearing is in the best interests of the child, the judge must consider and give due weight to the child’s desires. If the hearing is open, the judge must make specific factual findings to support the decision. In judicial districts that include a county with a population of less than 700,000, hearings involving the termination of parental rights also are closed unless these same standards for openness are met. In all other judicial districts, these proceedings generally are open to the public unless the court on the motion of another person or on its own determines that the hearing must be closed or partially closed because such closure is in the best interests of the child. In deciding whether closure or partial closure is in the best interests of the child, the judge must consider and give due weight to the child’s desires. If the hearing is closed, the judge must make specific factual findings to support the closure, and only those people with a direct interest in the case may be admitted. Hearings involving children taken into protective custody are generally closed regardless of where they occur, and only people with a direct interest in the case may be admitted. Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 432B.430.

Dependency records: The records of juvenile dependency hearings are confidential. Id.

Restrictions on coverage: Nevada law allows witnesses less than 13 years old and victims of sexual abuse regardless of age to testify in any criminal prosecution outside the presence of the defendant via video-recorded testimony. The statute does not specify whether the media and public may remain in the courtroom when this testimony is broadcast there. Id. § 174.227.