S.V.

*1176 I

INTRODUCTION

Under separation of powers principles, when the Legislature has enacted a statute with limited exceptions, courts may not add additional exceptions. (See Cal. Const., art. III, § 3.) In 2014, the Legislature enacted a statute that generally requires a juvenile court to seal a minor's confidential delinquency file following a dismissal. The court cannot later unseal and release information in the file to others, except in eight limited circumstances for certain designated parties (e.g., the probation department). ( Welf. & Inst. Code, § 786, subds. (a)(1), (f)(1)(A)-(H).) 1 A third party criminal defendant is not one of the designated parties under the eight statutory exceptions.

Here, a juvenile court dismissed a delinquency petition and sealed the minor's records. A criminal defendant later filed a request for disclosure of the minor's sealed records. Defendant is charged with the pimping, pandering, and human trafficking of the minor; she is likely to be a witness at defendant's upcoming trial. The juvenile court reviewed the minor's sealed *1177 file and ordered that a redacted portion of the file be released to defendant (under procedures appropriate to…