Rule amended to exclude mental health cases from public access

Records in some mental health cases may now be kept from the public after the Indiana Supreme Court added an amendment to an existing rule dealing with access to court records.

In an order posted Wednesday, the state’s high court amended Administrative Rule 9(G)(1), which lists cases and court records that are excluded from public access. The amendment adds “All mental health cases filed pursuant to I.C. 12-26” to the list of excluded records.

Indiana Code 12-26 deals with treatment of mentally ill individuals and addresses issues such as involuntary commitments and court proceedings related to mental health issues.

Administrative Rule 9(G)(1) also excludes from public access all cases where court records are declared confidential, are sealed in accordance with the Access to Public Records Act, and are excluded from public access in accordance with rule 9(G)(4).

The amended rule takes effect Jan. 1.