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Connecticut Diocese Plea to Stay Release of Abuse Records Referred To Full Supreme Court

By Howard M. Friedman

As previously reported, the Bridgeport, Connecticut Roman Catholic Diocese has been trying to obtain a stay of an order issued in May by the Connecticut Supreme Court requiring release of some 12,600 pages of documents filed in 23 cases alleging sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy. The documents, under seal since the cases were settled in 2001, are being sought by 4 newspapers. Planning to ask the U.S. Supreme Court for review, the Diocese petitioned Justice Ginsburg to grant a stay of the Connecticut order pending filing and disposition of a writ of certiorari. She refused. Then, in an unusual move, the Diocese submitted a request to Justice Scalia to grant the stay. Now it appears that Justice Scalia thinks the entire Court should decide whether or not a stay should be granted. The Supreme Court's docket entry in Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corporation v. New York Times indicates that on Sept. 2, Justice Scalia distributed the refiled application for a stay for consideration by the Justices at their Sept. 29 conference.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on September 07, 2009 (boomark / email).