Reporters Committee asks No. Dak. Supreme Court to open court records

In a friend-of-the-court brief to the North Dakota Supreme Court, the Reporters Committee this week urged the court to issue a directive requiring lower courts in the state to follow specific procedures set forth in the law before sealing records. The issue arose in connection with a lawsuit brought by the National Collegiate Athletics Association against the University of North Dakota alleging the school’s "Sioux" logo is racially insensitive. The NCAA had demanded the university stop using the name and Indian image in association with the school’s athletic teams. In an apparent effort to spur a settlement, the trial court sealed the court file without making specific findings of fact and narrowly tailoring the closure order as required under the law.