Top LA Juvenile Judge Seeks to Open Court Hearings
It isn’t yet a done deal. But the presiding judge wants to open the doors of juvenile courtrooms in Los Angeles, holding public hearings in cases about child abuse and neglect and foster care placements, unless the parties object.
Currently such cases are presumptively closed to the public. However, that isn’t a good thing, Judge Michael Nash tells the L.A. Now blog of the Los Angeles Times.
Speaking at a legislative hearing in the state capital earlier this year, Nash said public hearings could help address “a lot that is not good” in child dependency cases. “Too many families do not get reunified … too many children and families languish in the system for far too long,” he said. “Someone might want to know why this is the case.”
He is seeking public comment about the issue before the end of November.
