§ 7A-276.1. Court orders prohibiting publication or broadcast of reports of open court proceedings or reports of public records banned. - North Carolina Statutes

Article 22A.

Prohibited Orders.

§ 7A‑276.1.  Court orders prohibitingpublication or broadcast of reports of open court proceedings or reports ofpublic records banned.

No court shall make or issue any rule or order banning, prohibiting, orrestricting the publication or broadcast of any report concerning any of thefollowing: any evidence, testimony, argument, ruling, verdict, decision,judgment, or other matter occurring in open court in any hearing, trial, orother proceeding, civil or criminal; and no court shall issue any rule or ordersealing, prohibiting, restricting the publication or broadcast of the contentsof any public record as defined by any statute of this State, which is requiredto be open to public inspection under any valid statute, regulation, or rule ofcommon law. If any rule or order is made or issued by any court in violation ofthe provisions of this statute, it shall be null and void and of no effect, andno person shall be punished for contempt for the violation of any such void ruleor order. (1977, c. 711, s.3.)