Section 15 provides, “That the
court shall have power, upon the
hearing of any cause involving any
child, to exclude the general public
from the room wherein the hearing
is held, admitting thereto only such
persons as may have a direct interest
in the case: and the records of all
cases may be withheld from indis
criminate public inspection in the
discretion, of the court; but such
records shall be open to inspection of
such child, his parents, guardians,
or his legal representative. The
hearings may be conducted in The
Judges Chambers.’’ The provision
for inspection of the records by “the
child or his parents or his authorized
representative’’ may mean only a
guardian ad litem appointed by the
court in cases where summons or
notice to parents has been dispensed
with, because section 14 directs the
court in that instance to appoint such
guardian, who would usually be a
stranger to the child and might easily
be totally faithless to its interests.
Section 20 provides, “That the
court, after a hearing, may commit
the child, to any institution, associa
tion or corporation willing to receive
it within or without the District of
Columbia.’’
It is further provided that such
commitment may be till the child at
tains is legal majority, even though
committed in early infancy.
