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Diocese Seeks Reconsideration of Court Order To Release Documents

By Howard M. Friedman

According to the New York Times, on Friday the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport asked the Connecticut Supreme Court to reconsider its 4-1 decision from last month ordering the release some 12,600 pages of documents filed in 23 cases alleging sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy. (See prior posting.) The Diocese asks for all 7 justices to reconsider the order, arguing that the ordered release violates its First Amendment free exercise rights as well as the privacy rights of many named in the documents. The Diocese also argues that the trial judge who originally ruled in the case should have recused himself because of his work on a panel studying the release of public records. Also on the panel was a Hartford Courant reporter. The Courant was one of four newspapers that brought the suit seeking release of the clergy-abuse records.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on June 14, 2009 (boomark / email).