§1952.__Jury prohibited

The court, without a jury, shall adjudicate parentage of a child.

Comment

(This is section 632 of the UPA.)

Source: 42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(5)(I), requiring state law to provide that "parties to an action to establish paternity are not entitled to trial by jury . . . ." See Appendix: Federal IV-D Statute Relating to Parentage, infra.

UPA (1973) § 14[(d)] prohibited jury trials in parentage proceedings on the basis that "The use of a jury is not desirable in the emotional atmosphere of cases of this nature." Congress agreed when it enacted an effectively identical prohibition in PRWORA (1996).

Maine Comment

This section is gender neutral consistent with other Maine amendments to the UPA.

§1953.__Hearings; inspection of records

1.__Close proceeding.__On request of a party and for good cause shown, the court may close a proceeding under this subchapter.

2.__Public records; consent or order.__A final order in a proceeding under this subchapter is available for public inspection. Other papers and records are available only with the consent of the parties or on order of the court for good cause.

Comment

(This is section 633 of the UPA.)

Source: UPA (1973) § 20.

UPA (1973) § 20 was concerned with the privacy of the parties in a paternity proceeding and required closure of the proceedings. The high caseload and the desensitizing of such