State v. S.J.C.

Juvenile Law Center filed an amicus brief on behalf of S.J.C. in the Washington Supreme Court along with the Washington State Center for Children & Youth Justice. S.J.C. was blocked from sealing his juvenile record based upon the state’s contention that the standard for sealing a child’s record is the same as the standard for sealing an adult’s record.

In our brief, we argued that the Washington Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized the distinctive status of youth under its laws and Constitution as well as the rehabilitative purposes of the juvenile justice system, both of which favor offering greater protection for juvenile court records than adult records under Washington law. We cited recent United States Supreme Court case law in Miller v. Alabama, Graham v. Florida, J.D.B. v. North Carolina, and Roper v. Simmons, each of which recognized the constitutional relevance of adolescent development in juvenile proceedings, as further support for Washington’s distinctive handling of juvenile records. Finally, we argued that both research and sound public policy support increased protections of confidentiality in juvenile court proceedings relative to adult criminal court proceedings. 

The Washington Supreme Court held that S.J.C. had satisfied the statutory requirements to seal his juvenile court record, and that he did not need to show that sealing was justified under the standards used for adults.