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Are Audio and Video Recordings of Court Proceedings Considered Court Records?
Palmbeachpost.com reports: Don't believe your ears. That's essentially what a committee of Florida judges is asking the State Supreme Court to tell the public about recordings of court proceedings - that an actual court recording is not an official one. Therefore, it's not a public record. It's a notion the court should reject. If the high court agrees with the Commission on Trial Court Performance and Accountability, it will be a giant step backward for public access. And it could take a big bite out of the wallets of citizens seeking court records.

The commission's proposal is based on a study of courthouse recording practices around the state. The commission argues that because recording equipment can pick up confidential information, such as Social Security numbers and private conversations - particularly between lawyers and their clients - the public should not get unedited copies of those recordings.

That's fine. Edit the recordings to redact confidential information. The committee, however, wants to strike electronic records and videotapes from the definition of "court records," which would give chief judges in Florida's 20 judicial circuits ownership of the recordings and sole discretion over whether to issue them at all.

Less court access? Objection

Full post as published by Legal Dockets Online on November 17, 2008 (boomark / email).