The California Public Records Act (CPRA) grants the public a broad right to obtain disclosable records in the possession of a local or state agency. At the same time, the CPRA limits access to certain information about elected and appointed officials and makes it a crime to disclose specified details about such officials, including private information and information necessary for an elected or appointed official’s safety.
Current law exempts disclosure of private information regarding judges, court commissioners, federal defenders, and judges of federally recognized Indian tribes from disclosure.
AB 343 expands this exemption to include retired judges and court commissioners, active and retired judges of the State Bar Court, retired federal judges and federal defenders, retired judges of federally recognized Indian tribes, and court appointees who serve as children’s counsel in family or dependency proceedings.
(AB 343 amends Section 7920.500 of the Government Code.)