Sealed records

An investigative report about alleged prosecutorial misconduct in the corruption case against the late U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens will be released after a Washington, D.C., federal judge yesterday found that the public's right of access overcame several of the lawyers’ claims that disclosure of the document would damage their reputations.

Video recordings of the contentious trial that struck down California’s ban on same-sex marriage will likely not be released to the public after all, following a federal appellate court’s reversal today of a lower court’s finding that there was no compelling reason for the tapes to remain sealed.

A Washington, D.C., trial judge erred when he did not allow Washington Post reporters access to the questionnaires of jurors who convicted the killer of former intern Chandra Levy, D.C.’s appellate court ruled today.

The maker of the iPhone and iPad failed to convince a federal judge in California that court documents in its lawsuit against a maker of Mac computer clones should remain shielded from public view.

Nearly all the court documents related to a Pennsylvania health insurer’s agreement to take over a hospital network will soon be released, after a federal judge in Pittsburgh recently ruled that the claimed “highly confidential” information is publicly available.

Affidavits for search warrants for the home, office, locker and safe deposit boxes of an ex-college basketball coach accused of sexual abuse will remain shielded from public view, at least for now, after a federal judge denied four New York-based media organizations’ requests to unseal the documents.

A Tennessee judge earlier this week granted a media coalition’s request to unseal court documents and proceedings in a case that prompted heightened scrutiny of international adoptions.

Torry Hansen failed to convince the court that a lawsuit seeking child support from her on behalf of the 9-year-old boy she adopted but then abruptly returned to his native Russia should be shielded entirely from public view. Some records related to the child’s adoption history will remain sealed to protect his privacy, however.

The Knoxville News Sentinel has filed a motion to intervene in a high-profile case where the court has sealed documents involving a disbarred former judge, arguing that there is no valid legal basis for keeping the records from public view.

The North Dakota Supreme Court is considering a proposed amendment to its rules that would block public Internet access to certain criminal records, sparking concern over access to court records.

The court held a public meeting on Monday about the proposed rule, which would remove cases from the Internet in which a defendant was acquitted, the case was dismissed, or its paper record is no longer required by law to be kept on file. The rule would only affect electronic files and not paper records.

The public has a right to view materials filed in support of search warrant applications once an investigation is over, a federal appeals court recently held, adding that the right of access is infringed when the material is sealed because of general concerns that it may be posted online.