Court Opinion

ID: 9642975
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 18:14:13.741162+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:55.688572
License: Public Domain

RICHARD B. TEITELMAN, Judge,
concurring.
I concur and write separately to emphasize that section 211.171.6 does not prohibit the circuit court from restricting public access to the case. The circuit court retains the discretion to limit public access to the proceedings to the extent that such access is contrary to the best interests of the juvenile or will impede the provision of a fair trial.
In pertinent part, section 211.171.6 provides that the “public shall be excluded ... except in cases where the child is accused of conduct which, if committed by an adult, would be considered a class A or B felony. ...” As the per curiam opinion notes, the statute establishes a rule generally excluding the public from all juvenile proceedings, while specifically exempting from mandatory closure those cases in which the juvenile is accused of conduct that would be a class A or B felony if committed by an adult. However, it is important to emphasize that the specific exemption of a certain class of cases from mandatory closure does not necessarily entail mandatory public access. The negative does not prove the positive.
This case is being adjudicated within the juvenile courts established by chapter 211, RSMo 2000. The overall purpose of chapter 211 is to protect and safeguard the best interests of the juvenile, and the statute must be liberally construed to realize that purpose. Section 211.011. Accordingly, section 211.171.6 does not eliminate the circuit court’s discretion to limit or exclude public access based upon a *902finding that the best interests of the juvenile would be served by such limitation or exclusion. Additionally, the right of the general public to have access to the proceedings must always be balanced by the defendant’s right to a fair trial. State ex rel. Pulitzer, Inc. v. Autrey, 19 S.W.3d 710, 712 (Mo.App.2000). I would hold that the respondent retains the discretion to close the proceedings based upon a finding either that such closure would protect the juvenile’s best interests or that public access would prejudice the juvenile’s right to a fair trial.