Iowa Code » Chapter 232 — JUVENILE JUSTICE
Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 232.39 (2026)

Exclusion of public from hearings

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section IA-LEGlegis.iowa.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

At any time during the proceedings, the court, on the motion of any of the parties or upon the court’s own motion, may exclude the public from hearings under this subchapter if the court determines that the possibility of damage or harm to the child outweighs the public’s interest in having an open hearing. Upon closing the hearing to the public, the court may admit those persons who have direct interest in the case or in the work of the court. [C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §3635; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, §232.19; C66, 71, 73, 75, 77, §232.27; C79, 81, §232.39] 88 Acts, ch 1134, §51; 2020 Acts, ch 1062, §94 Referred to in §232.147

\n
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 1950–2011 · leading case: McKay v. Ruffcorn, 73 N.W.2d 78 (Iowa 1955).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
McKay v. Ruffcorn, 73 N.W.2d 78 (Iowa 1955). · cites it 4× “June, appellant here, has not mentioned any of the above inaccuracies in the petition and apparently was not misled thereby.”
United States v. L.M., 425 F. Supp. 2d 948 (N.D. Iowa 2006). · cites it 4× “, Iowa Code § 232.39 (2005) (holding that juvenile proceedings are generally open to the public).”
In the Interest of C.L.C., 798 N.W.2d 329 (Iowa Ct. App. 2011). “§ 232.39. . "Predilection” is defined as a "partiality or disposition in favor of something; a preference.”
State Ex Rel. Wiley v. Richards, 113 N.W.2d 285 (Iowa 1962). · cites it 2× “Under the instant record only two of them would be applicable. They are: 3) “Is without proper parental care or guardianship”; and 7) “Is living under such other unfit surroundings as bring such child, in the opinion of the court, within the spirit of this chapter.”
State Ex Rel. Bruner v. Sanders, 129 N.W.2d 602 (Iowa 1964). · cites it 2× “” Section 232.39 states “This chapter shall be liberally construed to the end that its purpose may be carried out.”
State v. Stemmler, 41 N.W.2d 21 (Iowa 1950). · cites it 2× “, Adoption of Children, section 6; section 232.39, Code of 1946. V. Since the statutes regulating adoption and the care of neglected children have become much more complete as the years have passed and the state has accepted as its duty, careful supervision and care, it is not…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.