Concerning legal protections for the dignity of a minor, and, in connection therewith, suppressing a court record associated with changing a minor's name.
Summary
SB26-018 creates additional confidentiality protections for court records tied to a name-change petition filed by a person under 18. Beginning July 1, 2026, those records are treated as suppressed court records, meaning they are accessible only to judges, court staff, parties and their attorneys, authorized judicial staff, and others with a valid court order or affidavit. The court may use the records for administrative purposes, but it may not publish the minor petitioner’s name or new name online.
The bill also allows a suppressed record to be accessed without a court order if the requester obtains verbal consent from a party to the case and submits an affidavit under penalty of perjury confirming that consent. For name-change petitions filed before July 1, 2026, the court must grant a request to suppress the associated record. In addition, the bill exempts minors from the public notice requirement for name changes, and it directs courts, when determining parenting time and decision-making responsibility, to consider whether the parties recognize the child’s identity as it relates to a protected class.
Impact
The bill amends Colorado’s name-change and court-record statutes, primarily sections 13-15-101 and 13-15-102, to create a special confidentiality regime for minors seeking a legal name change. It limits public access to those records, removes the public notice requirement for minors, and restricts online publication of the minor’s former or new name. It also adds a new consideration for family courts in parenting-time and decision-making cases involving recognition of a child’s identity tied to a protected class.
Sentiment
The available record suggests the bill moved through the legislature without documented committee controversy in the provided materials and was ultimately signed by the governor. The bill’s framing as protecting the dignity of minors and increasing privacy for youth name changes indicates generally supportive sentiment around safeguarding minors’ confidentiality and identity-related interests.
Contention
The main policy tension is between protecting minors’ privacy and preserving public access to court proceedings and records. The bill narrows transparency by suppressing records and eliminating public notice for minors, which could concern those who favor open court records or public notice in name-change cases. Another potentially contentious provision is the family-court directive to consider whether parties recognize a child’s identity as it relates to a protected class, which may raise questions about how courts should weigh identity-related factors in custody and decision-making disputes.