REVISED JUDICATURE ACT OF 1961 (EXCERPT)
Act 236 of 1961
600.1420 Courts; sittings to be public, exceptions.
Sec. 1420.
The sittings of every court within this state shall be public except that a court may, for good cause shown, exclude from the courtroom other witnesses in the case when they are not testifying and may, in actions involving scandal or immorality, exclude all minors from the courtroom unless the minor is a party or witness. This section shall not apply to cases involving national security.
History: 1961, Act 236, Eff. Jan. 1, 1963
Constitutionality: The statute authorizing suppression of a court file containing the name of a victim of criminal sexual conduct, the name of the defendant, and the details of the offense until the defendant is arraigned, the charge is dismissed, or the case is otherwise concluded is not a prior restraint upon publication, but a valid legislative restriction on the common-law right of access to public records and the statutory right of access to court proceedings. In re Midland Publishing, 420 Mich 148; 362 NW2d 580 (1984).
© 2009 Legislative Council, State of Michigan