Judge: Colorado Springs Clinic Shooting Documents Should Stay Sealed
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The judge overseeing the case of a man charged with killing three people at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic says details of the shooting should stay sealed.
Judge Gilbert Martinez told the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday not to make public affidavits involving Robert Dear's arrest and the search of his home. Martinez's 116-page filing says media don't have a First Amendment right to access court records, and releasing the details could jeopardize Dear's case.
The filing came after news outlets, including The Associated Press, petitioned the state's high court to reverse Martinez's order sealing the documents. The organizations argue the public has a constitutional right to monitor the court system.
Prosecutors charged Dear with 179 counts of crimes including murder, attempted murder and assault for the Nov. 27 shooting.
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