The Lawrence County Quorum Court met on Monday, August 11th for it’s regularly scheduled meeting. Among the business addressed by the QC was an emergency ordinance that was mentioned to JP’s in July but was not complete.
Lawrence County Clerk Brandi Parker gave an overview to justices about the proposed ordinance which would designate limited access areas for privacy reasons within the courthouse. Mrs. Parker explained while it is a person’s legal right to film within the courthouse, some offices such as the County Clerk’s Office and District Court Offices within the courthouse contains sensitive private materials such as juvenile paperwork, adoption information, employee personal records etc. which should not be recorded or photographed. Parker explained these areas are not completely inaccessible but require notification before hand.
This ordinance begins the process of establishing public/non-public areas within the courthouse. The ordinance also puts forward rules of conduct for Audio/Video Recordings on all county owned property.
While some Justices openly questioned if the ordinance would bring unwanted attention and possible future 1st Amendment lawsuits, it was unanimously passed after several readings by the Lawrence County Quorum Court.
Copies of the ordinance are available from the Office of County Clerk Brandi Parker, located at 315 West Main Street Suite 2, Walnut Ridge Arkansas 72476.
