Under a new ruling by the California Court of Appeals, the press would only be admitted to juvenile court hearings if they could demonstrate “a legitimate interest” in the proceedings and their presence would not be detrimental to the children. Judge Elizabeth Grimes wrote that a blanket order allowing the press created a presumption in favor of allowing the press when in fact the legislature intended the opposite presumption. (Metropolitan News-Enterprise, March 4, 2014, by Kenneth Ofgang)
Lost Angele County Juvenile Court presiding judge Michael Nash had ruled in January 2012 for freer access for the press, that hearings concerning child dependency were of such importance to the public that the press should be admitted barring challenge and a showing that the presence of the press was harmful to the children. (California’s Children, March 4, 2014)
In an editorial, the San Francisco Chronicle, March 6, 2014 wrote that the state appeals court ruling was unfortunate, “Many child advocates believe that open media access is the best way for the public to learn about the stresses on the system: the caseloads, the lack of resources for our most vulnerable children, the burden on the courts to make live-altering decisions under compressed time and information constraints. This is one way to know what is happening to these children – our children, our collective responsibility.”