Opinion ID: 2459869
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the cobb letter qualifies for a presumptive right of public access under the ucja

Text: ¶ 9 The first issue that we must address is whether the district court erred in concluding that the Cobb Letter is entitled to a presumptive right of public access. As explained below, we affirm the district court's conclusion that the Cobb Letter is entitled to such a presumption under the UCJA. ¶ 10 Rule 4-202.02 of the UCJA provides that [c]ourt records are public unless otherwise classified by this rule. [3] The UCJA further specifies that the term court records includes case files, [4] books, letters, documents, [or] papers that are prepared, owned, received, or retained by a court or the administrative office of the courts. [5] ¶ 11 In the instant case, the district court both received the Cobb Letter and retained it in Mr. Allgier's case file. Accordingly, based on the plain language of the UCJA, the Cobb Letter qualifies as a court record for which there is a presumptive right of public access. ¶ 12 In his briefs, Mr. Allgier argues that the Letter cannot be considered a public record under the UCJA. In support of this position, he argues that the UCJA include[s] the requirement that for a document to be properly `received' or `retained' [by the court], it must be filed by a party or recognized intervener. But contrary to Mr. Allgier's argument, the UCJA does not expressly or implicitly contain such a requirement. Instead, as explained above, to qualify as a public record under the UCJA, a letter need only be received or retained by the court. [6] Accordingly, because we refuse to infer substantive terms into the text [of the UCJA], [7] we reject the argument offered by Mr. Allgier. ¶ 13 In summary, because the district court received the Cobb Letter and retained the Letter in its files, we affirm the district court's conclusion that the Letter constitutes a court document for which there is a presumptive right of public access under the UCJA.