Details about this story

• Source: Seattle Times
• Date: December 03, 2006
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Justin Mayo , Maureen O'Hagan , Cheryl Phillips
• Topics: Courts
• Data Types: FOIA , Paper Trail
• Description/Excerpt: In Washington, secrecy has often replaced accountability, The Seattle Times' ongoing investigation into improperly sealed court records has found. Courts across the state have sealed entire files in at least 398 guardianship cases since 1990, the statewide investigation determined. Most of those files - 266 - were sealed in King County. The Times has gone to court and gotten some of the cases opened. The Times was able to examine sealing orders for 376 of the sealed files. They reveal that Washington judges failed to apply the correct legal standard in 97 percent of the cases, instead using a lower standard or none at all. In two of every five cases their orders provided no reason for secrecy. They weighed the public interest in only three cases.