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GR31.1 <br />ACCESSTO ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS <br />GENERALPRINCIPLES <br />a) PolicyandPurpose. Consistent withthe principlesofopenadministration ofjusticeas <br />provided inarticleI, section 10 oftheWashington State Constitution, itisthepolicyofthe <br />judiciary tofacilitateaccess toadministrative records. Apresumption ofaccess appliestothe <br />Access to administrative records, however, isnot absolute <br />andshall beconsistent withexemptionsforpersonalprivacy, restrictions instatutes, restrictions <br />incourtrules, andasrequired fortheintegrity ofjudicialdecision-making. Access shall not <br />unduly burden thebusinessofthejudiciary. <br />b) OverviewofPublicAccesstoJudicial Records. Therearethreecategories ofjudicial <br />records. <br />1)Caserecords arerecords thatrelatetoin-courtproceedings, including casefiles, <br />dockets, calendars, andthelike. Publicaccesstothese records isgoverned byGR <br />andnotbythisGR31.1. <br />UnderGR31, theserecords arepresumptivelyopentopublicaccess, subjectto <br />statedexceptions. <br />2)Administrativerecords arerecordsthatrelate tothemanagement, supervision, or <br />administrationofacourtorjudicialagency. Amorespecific definition of <br />isinsection (i) ofthis rule. Undersection (j) ofthis rule, <br />administrative recordsare presumptively opentopublicaccess, subjectto <br />exceptions foundinsections (j) and (l) ofthisrule. <br />3)Chambers records arerecords thatarecontrolled andmaintained by <br />chambers. Amorespecific definition ofthistermisinsection (m) of thisrule. <br />Undersection (m), chambers recordsarenot open topublicaccess. <br />PROCEDURES FORADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS <br />c) Procedures forRecordsRequests.