The agreement was per a court order in a recent lawsuit filed by the state public defender

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jun 30, 2026

Media Contact:
Madhvi Venkatraman | Civil Rights Corps | media@civilrightscorps.org
Nicole Funaro | Public Justice | nfunaro@publicjustice.net

Jackson, MS – On June 24, the Mississippi Office of State Public Defender sued the state Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) to prevent AOC from denying Youth Court attorneys and their clients access to records in their own cases. On June 29, the federal court approved an Agreed Order that binds AOC to continue providing those records at least until July 15.

In Youth Courts across Mississippi, judges make life-altering decisions in cases involving parents accused of neglect or abuse and children accused of violating the law. Judges decide whether to permanently end children’s legal relationships with their parents, siblings, and grandparents; rearrange entire families; and confine children to jail cells.

This system is shrouded in secrecy: the courtroom doors are closed, and case records are completely confidential, subject only to certain exceptions set out in a statute. Any person who violates the statute can be criminally prosecuted. Additionally, parents and children who are facing permanent destruction of their families, and children who are facing years of detention, are routinely denied access to their own records, including charging documents, discovery, and court orders. In other cases, access is delayed or subject to certain limitations, such as a requirement that defense counsel review the records in full view of a government official. These practices prevent Youth Court attorneys from doing their jobs as lawyers and their clients from getting fair hearings.

The lack of court and document access is so widespread in Youth Court that even the Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services recently called for greater transparency, stating, “There’s been a myth propagated that because this is about children and the very sensitive details of their lives that we must seal it[.] My plea to the state is: Let’s have transparency in the courtroom.”

On July 1, 2026, this unconstitutional system will get even worse when the statute (MS Code §43-21-261) that currently allows exceptions to confidentiality automatically expires. In their lawsuit, Plaintiffs argue that without federal court intervention, parents, children, and their attorneys would be universally denied access to their own Youth Court records. Further, records will not even be shared with CPS, medical providers, school officials, or others who provide care to children in the foster system.

“Without records, I cannot provide effective or competent assistance of counsel and I cannot meet the basic ethical standards required of attorneys. I cannot prepare effectively for hearings, counsel my clients on their options, prepare a litigation strategy, assess factual disputes, conduct a meaningful investigation, or hire relevant experts,” stated A. Arman Miri, Partner at Lowrey, Fortner, & Miri P.A and Youth Court Attorney.

To forestall catastrophe, on June 24, 2026, the Mississippi Office of State Public Defender, its leadership, and private defense counsel Arman Miri, filed a lawsuit in federal District Court against the Mississippi Director of the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) to ensure they, other Youth Court attorneys, and their clients can access their own case records after the provision sunsets.

On June 26 and 29, the federal District Court heard arguments on the Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and issued an Agreed Order of Continuance that requires the AOC to continue their current practices of allowing Youth Court attorneys and their clients access to case records even after the exceptions outlined in §43-21-261 are repealed. The order will remain in effect till July 15, after which it can be extended if necessary.

The lawsuit alleges that denying Youth Court attorneys access to case records and documents violates their clients’ procedural due process rights. Therefore, Plaintiffs asked the Court to enjoin AOC, requiring them to continue providing access to records consistent with their current practices in the short term and, in the long term, to provide Youth Court attorneys and their clients with access to all records for cases in which they are counsel or a party.

“Access to records is vital to our ability to fight for justice. I am glad that AOC committed to continuing to provide access to our clients’ case records. The agreed order will avert the worst due process impacts of the law on the Youth Court System, ” said André de Gruy, Mississippi State Public Defender. “I hope this order inspires the state legislature to fix the harm the repeal of Section 261 will have on the entire system.”

Plaintiffs are represented by Civil Rights Corps, Public Justice, Carner & Rosemon, PLLC, and MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Learn more about the case and find relevant documents HERE.

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Civil Rights Corps challenges everyday injustice in the U.S. legal system. Through innovative civil rights litigation, advocacy, and public education, we aim to re-sensitize the legal system and our culture to the injustice and brutality that characterize it. Our work is guided by a commitment to the people and communities harmed by policing, surveillance, incarceration, discrimination, and the criminalization of poverty.

Public Justice  takes on the most significant systemic threats to justice of our time—abusive corporate power and predatory practices, the assault on civil rights and liberties, and the destruction of the earth’s sustainability. We link high-impact litigation with strategic communications and the strength of our partnerships to combat these abusive and discriminatory systems and achieve social and economic justice.

Carner & Rosemon, PLLC is a full-service law firm that focuses on providing zealous advocacy on behalf of clients throughout the State of Mississippi. The firm handles civil and criminal litigation from trial courts up to the United States Supreme Court.

The Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center is a national, nonprofit civil rights organization. We represent people who have been harmed by America’s criminal legal system, seeking to vindicate their rights, amplify their experiences, and hold people with power accountable.