No court shall make or issue any rule or order banning, prohibiting, or restricting the publication or broadcast of any report concerning any of the following: any evidence, testimony, argument, ruling, verdict, decision, judgment, or other matter occurring in open court in any hearing, trial, or other proceeding, civil or criminal; and no court shall issue any rule or order sealing, prohibiting, restricting the publication or broadcast of the contents of any public record as defined by any statute of this State, which is required to be open to public inspection under any valid statute, regulation, or rule of common law. If any rule or order is made or issued by any court in violation of the provisions of this statute, it shall be null and void and of no effect, and no person shall be punished for contempt for the violation of any such void rule or order.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-276.1
Court orders prohibiting publication or broadcast of reports of open court proceedings or reports of public records banned
Applied in 1 court decision — leading case 127 N.C. App. 629 - Virmani v. Presbyterian Health Services Corp. (1997)
Most recently applied in 127 N.C. App. 629 - Virmani v. Presbyterian Health Services Corp. (November 1997)
1977, c. 711, s. 3.
Official source: North Carolina General Assembly. Reproduced from public-domain North Carolina statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.