Age 17 is considered a Minor unless the court waives this for cause and charges the defendant as an adult. Currently, my state law permits public access to juvenile court records through the Odyssey online records system (Odyssey also used by Texas), as well as in person at courthouses (full name often times ordered redacted to initials). The law allows for juvenile records to be sealed only if several conditions are met, such as the juvenile turns 18 or completes probation and has not committed a drug, sex or “most serious” offense such as first-degree robbery or murder.
In my experience, whether or not the State criminal/civil court records (for adults) are public really depends on the state. Some states such as Florida have laws that make public disclosure a given whereas other states only work with certain vendors that require a fee based subscription to search and additional cost to view docs.
Relative to immigration matters, this is generally heard in "Immigration Court" which is a part of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) while criminal and civil courts are part of the United States judicial branch (federal Court) and court records are not available to the public except by subscription with Pacer or similar vendor. MOO
