Opinion ID: 1418014
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: writs of prohibition and mandamus

Text: Petitioners have asked this court to issue a writ of prohibition, declaring the respondent's order of closure null and void and directing her to take no further action to exclude the public from proceedings which, they contend, must be held in open court. The function of a writ of prohibition is to prevent action and not to undo that which has already been done. State ex rel. Powell v. Ilsley, Wyo., 387 P.2d 676, 677 (1963); and State ex rel. Mau v. Ausherman, 11 Wyo. 410, 72 P. 200, 214, rehearing denied 73 P. 548 (1902). It is also important to note and emphasize that, other than in exceptional or extraordinary circumstances, the writ of prohibition is only available if the lower court does not have subject-matter jurisdiction or, having such jurisdiction, it exceeds the scope thereof. State ex rel. Weber v. Municipal Court of the Town of Jackson, Wyo., 567 P.2d 698, 699 (1977). Writs of Mandamus, on the other hand, may direct an inferior tribunal to exercise its judgment but it may not control judicial discretion. Section 1-30-102, W.S. 1977. The function of mandamus is to command the performance of a ministerial duty which is plainly defined and required by law. Section 1-30-101, W.S. 1977; and LeBeau v. State ex rel. White, Wyo., 377 P.2d 302, 303 (1963). See, Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., v. Jerome, 478 Pa. 484, 387 A.2d 425, 429, fn. 11 (1978), U.S. appeal pending 434 U.S. 241, 98 S.Ct. 546, 54 L.Ed.2d 506. The primary questions in this case, then, are two, namely, does the Justice of the Peace have a clear duty to release the records of the closed bail-review proceedings, and secondly, do the petitioners have a clear legal right to inspect these records? It would seem, therefore, that the writ of mandamus would be the more appropriate remedy, if any remedy is in fact justified. Still, this court does have the power to grant proper relief, in the form of mandamus, when a party improperly requests a writ of prohibition without objection. Steward v. Judge of the 15th Judicial District, Okl., 542 P.2d 945, 947 (1975). We could, therefore, grant a writ of mandamus, even though prohibition has been asked, providing the petitioners have shown a clear entitlement to such relief. Rule 16, Rules of the Supreme Court, requires that any application to this court for a writ of mandamus must disclose why it is necessary for such a writ to issue originally from this court. See, State v. Copenhaver, 76 Wyo. 326, 301 P.2d 1066, 1067 (1956). Petitioners urge, as their justification for seeking a writ, that a uniform standard concerning the issues presented in this case is needed, and that this court should make and enter the requested order under its supervisory power over the justice of the peace courts under Article 5, § 2, of the Wyoming Constitution. We accept those arguments for the purposes of this case only but, in the same breath, we direct that similar proceedings in the future should be brought first before a lower court whenever possible. In addition, and consistent with our discussion hereafter, we note that since a lower court does have authority to close pretrial hearings under certain circumstances, a test of the court's jurisdiction to do so through an application for writ of prohibition is inappropriate. The issuance of such a writ is closely guarded so as not to disrupt, unless absolutely necessary, the usual course of judicial proceedings. State ex rel. Weber v. Municipal Court of the Town of Jackson, supra, at 700. Returning, then, to the merits of this case, we will consider the following matters: 1. The appropriate standards for closure of pretrial proceedings, and 2. Whether dissemination of information from this pretrial proceeding would be proper.