Docket sealed in case against state senator

A Pennsylvania judge has sealed the entire docket in a case involving a criminal indictment against a state senator, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Judge John Zottola of the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court originally sealed only certain documents and motions in the case against state Senator Jane Orie, who is accused of using state employees to run a political campaign for her sister.  However in a hearing last Thursday, Judge Zottola ruled that all previous documents in the case are now sealed.

In making his ruling, Judge Zottola referenced a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order issued in the case last month, stating that he believed that the state’s highest court intended the documents to be sealed.

Jerry McDervitt, Orie’s attorney, indicated at the hearing that there has never been any order to seal the publicly filed motions in the case. Prior to last Thursday’s hearing, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had attempted to review the case files that were not yet under seal, but court officials denied the request.