Bill
SB 871
The bill creates a Judicial Protection Act to restrict public disclosure of judges’ personal identifying information and provides enforcement to remove already-posted data within 5
Status: Referred to Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety
Introduced: January 22, 2025
Subject: Civil rights; public records; courts — protections for judges
Overview / Purpose
- Establishes a “Judicial Protection Act” to limit public disclosure of judges’ (and certain household members’) personal identifying information and to provide enforcement tools if that information is posted, sold, or otherwise publicized.
- Aims to reduce risk to judges’ personal safety and their families by restricting access to specific categories of personal data held by public bodies and private entities.
Key definitions
- “Judge”: includes state court judges (district, probate, circuit, court of appeals, supreme court), federal judges (per the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act), and tribal court judges of federally recognized tribes located in the state.
- “Immediate family member”: spouse, child, parent, or other relative who shares the judge’s permanent residence.
- “Personal identifying information” (covered information) — examples explicitly listed in the bill include:
- Date of birth (with a constitutional exception noted)
- Permanent residential address (except city/township)
- Addresses of other property owned
- Home/cell phone numbers
- State ID or driver license number
- Social Security number
- Personal email address
- Federal/state tax ID numbers
- Credit/debit card and bank account information (including PINs)
- License plate or other unique vehicle identifiers
- Current/future school or daycare details for household members
- Employment location information (other than a courthouse), schedules, or routes
Core provisions
- A judge may submit a prescribed written request (form from the state court administrative office) to a public body or a private person/entity to prevent public posting, display, sale, or transfer of covered information, or to request removal of already-posted information.
- The form requires proof of judicial office/identity and the specific information to be protected.
- A written request remains effective until the judge signs written permission to re-release information.
- The state court administrative office may submit requests on behalf of state court judges if authority is delegated.
- Public bodies and private persons who receive such a request must:
- Not publicly post or display the covered information.
- Remove already-posted covered information within 5 business days.
- Exemptions:
- News reporting or commentary on matters of public concern (i.e., bona fide journalistic uses) is not restricted.
- Information voluntarily published by the judge or their family after the bill’s effective date is not covered.
- To satisfy constitutional requirements, a judge’s date of birth may still be obtained via the state court administrative office.
- FOIA/record exemptions: Covered information subject to an active request is exempt from disclosure under the state Freedom of Information Act provision cited in the bill.
- Enforcement and remedies:
- Judges may bring civil actions to compel compliance or enjoin further noncompliance.
- Injunctive actions against local public bodies or persons are to be filed in circuit court; venue is proper in any county where the judge serves.
- (Text indicates additional civil procedures; full bill should be consulted for damages or other remedies.)
Who is affected
- Directly: judges (state, certain federal, tribal) and their immediate household members.
- Required to act: public bodies (state and local government entities) and private persons/entities that post, host, sell, or otherwise disseminate personal information.
- Indirectly: media outlets (subject to the news exemption), data brokers, website operators, and organizations that publish public records.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Introduced January 22, 2025; referred to the Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety.
- The bill requires use of a standardized form from the state court administrative office for requests and creates an ongoing duty for recipients to remove covered information within a 5-business‑day window.
Limitations / caveats
- The bill text provided is truncated in places; readers should consult the full enrolled or introduced version for complete procedural provisions, any civil damages language, and exact FOIA cross‑references.
- News reporting and voluntarily published information remain exceptions; the balance between privacy and public interest is preserved in those instances.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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