Regulation of the Judicial Directorate on Public Information and the Publication of Decisions (Informationsreglement) - Principle

1. The Courts of the Canton of Aargau provide appropriate information and communicate openly and transparently.

2. They inform the public particularly through the following means

a) Information and statements,

b) Press release,

c) Press conference,

d) Public disclosure of decisions,

e) Publication of leading decisions.

1. The presidency of the judiciary or its deputy represents the courts of the Canton of Aargau externally.

2. The responsibility for information about court rulings lies with the presidency of the respective judicial panel.

3. The communication of the courts of the Canton of Aargau is conducted through the cantonal media office and the media representatives of the district courts, the coercive measures court, the specialized administrative court, and the supreme court.

1. Decisions within the scope of this regulation are to be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the public's right to information on one hand and the rights of the parties involved as well as third parties to confidentiality on the other.

1. The court clerks provide electronic information regarding the subject, time, and location of public hearings.

1. After they are issued, final decisions are made available to the public at the clerical office of the adjudicating court instance in a non-anonymized form in the dispositive for 30 days.

2. No publication is made in proceedings that are not public according to the applicable procedural laws.

1. Leading and additional decisions are published in the Collection of Aargau Court and Administrative Decisions (AGVE).

1. The publication of the decisions shall generally be in an anonymized form (§ 10 para. 2 GOG).

2. The names of the parties may be published by way of exception if the public interest in knowing them outweighs the private interests of the parties.

1. The media representatives or the media office provide information in response to inquiries or forward inquiries to the competent authority.

2. Inquiries that require a detailed examination of the affected interests must be submitted in writing.

1. The Right to Access Files is governed

a) in pending proceedings by the applicable procedural laws,

b) in concluded proceedings by the Act on Public Information, Data Protection, and Archives (IDAG) of October 24, 2006, and the Judicial Administration Regulation on Access to Files and Archiving of April 28, 2017,

c) upon delivery to the State Archives by the IDAG.

1. For services related to the right of access to files, a fee may be charged in accordance with the applicable provisions.

1. Reports on court proceedings must be objective and must not unnecessarily expose anyone. Due regard must be given to the legitimate interests of the parties involved in the proceedings.

2. The guidelines of the Swiss Press Council on the Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists are particularly authoritative.

1. Members of the media shall receive upon request, from the courts or the media office, in pending public proceedings

a) Information regarding the subject, time, and place of the proceedings,

b) Details of the facts of cases in which a hearing is conducted,

c) In criminal matters, a copy of the indictment or criminal complaint, generally on the day of the hearing,

d) Decisions in anonymized form after their written issuance,

e) Information on the status of the proceedings.

2. They shall receive from the media office

a) Upon request, the business report before its publication,

b) Invitations to press conferences.

3. Press releases are published on the cantonal website.

1. Visual and audio recordings of court proceedings and within the courthouse are prohibited without the court's permission (§ 8 para. 3 GOG).

2. In criminal proceedings, Article 71 of the Swiss Criminal Procedure Code (CrimPC) of October 5, 2007, applies.

1. The courts may impose an embargo on reporting.

2. The embargo lapses if the public gains knowledge of the content of the decision from another source before it expires.

3. Further measures may be ordered to enforce the rules on court reporting and to protect the parties involved in the proceedings.

1. This regulation comes into force on July 1, 2016.