Public Access to Records

(a) Except as provided in these Special Rules, the Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch, or as limited by court order, all court files relating to civil commitment shall be available to the public for inspection, copying, printing, or downloading. (b) The pre-petition screening report, court-appointed examiner's report, and all medical records filed with or received by the court shall not be disclosed to the public except by express order of the district court. This provision shall not limit the ability of any party, witness, or the court to mention the contents of the pre-petition screening report, court-appointed examiner's report, and medical records in open court or in otherwise publicly accessible pleadings or documents. Any reference at a public hearing or in an otherwise public document to confidential reports or medical records shall not render the reports or medical records available to the public, or create a sufficient basis for making the reports or records available to the public. (c) Where electronic filing is authorized or required under General Rules of Practice 14, the pre-petition screening report, court-appointed examiner's report, and all medical records filed with the court must be designated as confidential by the filing party. Upon discovery by court administration staff that any pre-petition screening reports, court-appointed examiner reports, or medical records have not been designated as confidential by the filing party, the court administrator shall designate the document as confidential and notify the filer of the change in designation. (d) The court may, sua sponte, or upon motion and hearing, issue an order prohibiting public access to civil commitment case records that are otherwise accessible to the public only if the court finds that exceptional circumstances exist. (e) Except when authorized by order of the presiding judge or the Minnesota Supreme Court, there shall be no public access to case records of proceedings seeking commitment of a minor. The petition for commitment of a minor must be designated as confidential by the filing party. Upon discovery by court administration staff that the petition for the civil commitment of a minor has not been designated as confidential by the filing party, court administration staff shall designate the petition as confidential and notify the filer of the change in designation. (Amended effective September 18, 2013; amended effective July 1, 2015.)