The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure to clarify that magistration proceedings are open to the public. The bill would allow any person to petition a district court for a writ of mandamus or other equitable relief if a magistration proceeding is not open to the public as required. Under the provisions of the bill, courts may impose reasonable limits on in-person access to magistration courts for safety reasons or to prevent overcrowding. The bill would require a magistrate to publish certain information on the court's website prior to conducting a magistration proceeding.
According to the Office of Court Administration (OCA), no significant impact to the state court system is anticipated.
Local governments may incur expenses related to providing public access by livestream or videoconference if their courts lack the capability to provide in-person public access to magistration hearings, but the cost cannot be determined due to the number of those entities being unknown.