DOVER, Del. (AP) - A task force established by state lawmakers to study public access to Family Court proceedings in Delaware is getting down to work.
Members of the task force gathering at Legislative Hall on Thursday face a February deadline for reporting on the feasibility of opening Family Court proceedings to the public.
Delaware's constitution says all courts shall be open, but many Family Court proceedings nevertheless take place behind closed doors because of laws passed by the General Assembly.
Those closed proceedings include hearings involving adoption or termination of parental rights, custody rights and visitation, guardianship, paternity and divorce.
The Family Court has jurisdiction over all domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, and intra-family misdemeanors.
