Opinion ID: 4418444
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: PACR versus PRA

Text: ¶ 10. As an initial matter, we hold that the proper framework for evaluating whether the court’s order is categorically excluded from public disclosure is found in the Vermont Rules for Public Access to Court Records, as opposed to the Vermont Public Records Act. ¶ 11. As the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized, “[e]very court has supervisory power over its own records and files.” Nixon v. Warner Commc’ns, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 598 (1978). In 1 Because we resolve this case on statutory grounds, we need not address appellant’s constitutional arguments. See Sealed Documents, 172 Vt. at 156, 772 A.2d at 523 (“Our tradition of addressing issues of constitutional significance only when the matter is squarely and necessarily presented counsels restraint . . . as to the broader questions of access on these alternative grounds.”). 4 exercise of this authority, this Court adopted Rules for Public Access to Court Records in 2001.2 The rules were written to be comprehensive, reflecting all then-existing statutory and procedural rule provisions on public access to court records, and adding additional provisions. See V.R.P.A.C.R. 1; Reporter’s Notes, V.R.P.A.C.R. 1. In recognition of the fact that some access statutes may have been missed in drafting the rules, and new access statutes may be adopted in the future, the PACR Rules adopted by reference any other statutory access restrictions, at least with respect to case records. See V.R.P.A.C.R. 6(b)(35); Reporter’s Notes, V.R.P.A.C.R. 1. The PACR Rules are thus distinct from the PRA enacted by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, although by design the Rules generally mimic or incorporate where relevant the statutory protections of the PRA and other statutes. ¶ 12. We have previously questioned whether the PRA applies in its own right to court case records. See, e.g., Herald Ass’n v. Judicial Conduct Bd., 149 Vt. 233, 240 n.7, 544 A.2d 596, 601 n.7 (1988) (noting that “[i]t is doubtful that the public records law applies at all to judicial records in view of the specific statutes in the trial courts and the power of the judicial branch over its records”). And in a 2012 case, we applied the PACR Rules to a request to seal search warrants and related materials. In re Essex Search Warrants, 2012 VT 92, 192 Vt. 559, 60 A.3d 707. We noted that following the Court’s adoption of the PACR Rules, those rules governed public access