Establishes standards for public access to family court proceedings

Latest action Feb 11, 2026

Establishes standards for public access to family court proceedings and when a judge can exclude individuals from proceedings.

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Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Same as A7368, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Committee

Judiciary · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Judiciary · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

Section 1 amends the family court act by adding a new section 161-a. Section 2 amends § 341.1 of the family court act, in relation to juve- nile delinquency proceedings, to conform existing provisions of law with the new section 161-a. Section 3 amends § 433(a) of the family court act, in relation to support proceedings, to conform existing provisions of law with the new section 161-a. Section 4 amends § 531 of the family court act, in relation to paternity proceedings, to conform existing provisions of law with the new section 161-a. Section 5 amends § 741(b) of the family court act, in relation to persons in need of supervision proceedings, to conform existing provisions of law with the new section 161-a. Section 6 amends § 1043 of the family court act, in relation to child protective proceedings, to conform existing provisions of law with the new section 161-a. Section 7 sets the effective date.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateFeb 11, 2026Result: passed
(50) (9) (0) (4)
Vote: Committee vote · Judiciary
Senate JudiciaryFeb 4, 2026Result: passed
(15) (2) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMar 26, 2025Result: passed
(52) (9) (0) (2)
Vote: Committee vote · Judiciary
Senate JudiciaryFeb 11, 2025Result: passed
(17) (2) (0) (0)

Cosponsors

Lea Webb

Democratic1

Lea Webb

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Shelley Mayer says this is needed

The United States' legal principles favor open courts as a tool to provide a check on government. In 1997, New York's Office of Court Administration created a court rule concerning access by the public to family court proceedings. The rule states: "Members of the public, including news media, shall have access to all courtrooms.' The rule allows judges to exclude the general public or a person from the court if they find that the exclusion is warranted, and outlines a list of factors that the court may consider.' This bill would codify the rule so as to make clear that the presumption is that all family court proceedings are open to the public, in the absence of extenuating circumstances. Anecdotal information suggests that family court personnel are not uniformly complying with the rule and are closing the courtroom even in circumstances when the rule would not allow it. At a recent New York State Senate hearing on family court proceedings, multiple advocacy groups and members of the public who have been parties to cases in family court testified to widespread disregard for this court rule. Clarifying the circumstances where courts may be closed to the public will provide a greater measure of transparency and accountability for judges and court personnel without compromising protection for vulner- able parties. PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:; S8339A/A10188 (2023-2024): Passed Senate; referred to Judiciary in the Assembly

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

Feb 11, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Feb 11, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Feb 11, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
NY Assembly
Feb 9, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Feb 5, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate

Show full history (12 earlier events)

Feb 4, 2026
1ST Report CAL.241
1ST REPORT CAL.241
NY Senate
Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
NY Senate
Mar 26, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Mar 26, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Mar 26, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
NY Assembly
Mar 25, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
NY Assembly
Feb 24, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Feb 12, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
Feb 11, 2025
1ST Report CAL.348
1ST REPORT CAL.348
NY Senate
Jan 21, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
NY Senate

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Cosponsors: The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Party colors: Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 2, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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