Judge Says Records in Michael Brown Case Must be Unsealed

(HELENA)– In a significant victory for open records and Montana media organizations, a state judge Tuesday ordered the unsealing of nearly all charging documents in a high-profile Anaconda murder case.
The order by District Court Judge Jeffrey DaHood says records in the Michael P. Brown case will be unsealed May 8, giving attorneys time to notify relatives of the four victims in the fatal shooting at an Anaconda bar last summer.
A coalition of Montana media organizations sued in January to unseal the records, arguing that state law and the state constitution required those records be public.
The media coalition that filed suit to open the documents includes the Montana Newspaper Association, the Montana Free Press, the Montana Broadcasters Association, Lee Enterprises, the Daily Montanan and the Montana FOI Coalition.