Wis. Stat. » CHAPTER 757 — GENERAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING COURTS OF RECORD,
Wisconsin Statutes

Wis. Stat. § 757.14 (2026)

Sittings, public

✓ current as of July 2026
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757.14757.14 Sittings, public. The sittings of every court shall be public and every citizen may freely attend the same, including proceedings held by telephone or videoconferencing technology, except if otherwise expressly provided by law. If the content of the proceeding is deemed graphic or obscene, the judge or justice may exclude from the courtroom all minors not present as parties or witnesses. The court may utilize electronic means to allow the public the ability to hear and see, in real time, all proceedings in a manner as similar as practicable to being present in the courtroom.
757.14 HistoryHistory: 1977 c. 187 s. 96; Stats. 1977 s. 757.14; Sup. Ct. Order No. 21-03, 2022 WI 23, 401 Wis. 2d xv.
757.14 AnnotationAny citizen has the right to attend immunity hearings arising out of a John Doe proceeding. State ex rel. Newspapers, Inc. v. Circuit Court, 65 Wis. 2d 66, 221 N.W.2d 894 (1974).
757.14 AnnotationIt was an abuse of discretion to exclude the public from the voir dire of potential jurors. State ex rel. La Crosse Tribune v. Circuit Court, 115 Wis. 2d 220, 340 N.W.2d 460 (1983).
757.14 AnnotationCommitment hearings under s. 51.20 (12) are open unless the court grants the subject individual’s motion for closure. State ex rel. Wisconsin State Journal v. Circuit Court, 131 Wis. 2d 515, 389 N.W.2d 73 (Ct. App. 1986).
757.14 AnnotationThe 6th amendment right to a public trial extends to voir dire. A judge’s decision to close or limit public access to a courtroom in a criminal case requires the court to go through an analysis on the record in which the court considers overriding interests and reasonable alternatives. The court must make specific findings on the record to support the exclusion of the public and must narrowly tailor the closure. State v. Pinno, 2014 WI 74, 356 Wis. 2d 106, 850 N.W.2d 207, 11-2424.
757.14 AnnotationPublic access to criminal trials in particular is protected by the 1st amendment. Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. 596, 102 S. Ct. 2613, 73 L. Ed. 2d 248 (1982).
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 19 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1983–2022 · leading case: State v. Pinno, 2014 WI 74 (Wis. 2014).
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State v. Pinno, 2014 WI 74 (Wis. 2014). · cites it 27× “14 and should follow this court's guidance: The trial judge should recite on the record the factors that impel him to close the courtroom and why such factors override the presumptive value of a public trial. The findings of fact must be made with specificity.”
State Ex Rel. La Crosse Tribune v. Circuit Court for La Crosse Cnty., 340 N.W.2d 460 (Wis. 1983). · cites it 12× “The petitioners also asked for an order prohibiting the La Crosse County Circuit Court from conducting in camera voir dire proceedings in violation of sec. 757.14, Stats. The court of appeals denied the writ because the voir dire had been completed and because there was no proof…”
State v. Ndina, 2009 WI 21 (Wis. 2009). · cites it 2× “I, § 7 ("In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right .”
State of Wisconsin Ex Rel. Stevens v. Circuit Court for Manitowoc Cnty., 414 N.W.2d 832 (Wis. 1987). · cites it 6× “" This "public trial" right is reinforced in Wisconsin by sec. 757.14, Stats., which states, in pertinent part, that "[t]he sittings of every court shall be public and every citizen may freely attend the same, except if otherwise expressly provided by law .”
State Ex Rel. Newspapers, Inc. v. Circuit Court for Milwaukee Cnty., 370 N.W.2d 209 (Wis. 1985). · cites it 6× “The judge ruled that the proceeding did not involve the "sitting of a court" and thus did not have to be open under sec. 757.14, Stats.: "The sittings of every court shall be public and every citizen may freely attend the same, except if otherwise provided by law on the…”
City of Oak Creek v. King, 436 N.W.2d 285 (Wis. 1989). · cites it 4× “2d 460 (1983), where this court in addressing sec. 757.14, Stats., which presumptively mandates that every sitting of a court shall be public, noted that "the standing of the media is not a special one but is identical to that of the public.”
John Doe 1 v. Madison Metro Sch. Dist., 2022 WI 65 (Wis. 2022). · cites it 2× “See Wis. Stat. § 757.14 ("The sittings of every court shall be public and every citizen may freely attend the same .”
Journal/Sentinel, Inc. v. Sch. Bd. of the Sch. Dist., 521 N.W.2d 165 (Wis. Ct. App. 1994). · cites it 3× “Section 757.14, STATS, (court proceedings).”
State v. Wilson, 440 N.W.2d 534 (Wis. 1989). · cites it 2× “7, and is further guaranteed by sec. 757.14, Stats. Broadcasting court proceedings is an extension of admitting the public into the courtroom and has been permitted in Wisconsin by supreme court rule since 1979, after a fifteen-month experimental period.”
State v. Stanley, 2012 WI App 42 (Wis. Ct. App. 2012). · cites it 2× “13, 2008); see also Wis. Stat. § 757.14 (sittings of court generally open to public).”
State Ex Rel. Storer Broad. Co. v. Gorenstein, 388 N.W.2d 633 (Wis. Ct. App. 1986). · cites it 2× “In that manner, "[contamination could have been avoided without suppressing the public's right under sec. 757.14, Stats., to know what the court was doing.”
State v. Williams, 459 A.2d 641 (N.J. 1983). “Penal Code § 868 (West 1982); Ga.Code Ann.”
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