Justices Let Stand Juvenile Court Law : Allow Public Access to Trials, Retain Hearings for Felonies

The state Supreme Court on Thursday left intact a lower court ruling that allows public access to trials and pretrial hearings of juveniles who are charged with serious crimes.

The ruling came in the case of two upper-middle-class Tarzana high school youths accused of robbing a bank and stealing cars. They planned to use the money to start an ice cream business.

The case attracted media attention last year when police theorized that the crimes were examples of increased gang activity among white youths, although that was later discounted.

Lawyers for the Daily News appealed Superior Court Judge Burton S. Katz’s order barring reporters from a pretrial hearing. In September, an appeals court ruled that juvenile proceedings involving serious crimes such as armed robbery must be open.

However, the court also said judges could close the hearings in certain extraordinary circumstances, when a juvenile’s right to a fair trial might be jeopardized.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird and Justices Stanley Mosk and Malcolm M. Lucas voted to review the appellate court ruling. A majority of four justices is needed before the high court hears a case.

In another case, the high court let stand an appellate court ruling that law enforcement officials need not save breath samples of people arrested for drunk driving. Bird and Justice Joseph Grodin voted to hear the case.