AP Joins Bid To Unseal Court Records

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Associated Press has joined a New Orleans newspaper in urging a federal judge to unseal court documents related to a Justice Department probe of alleged prosecutorial misconduct in its investigation of deadly police shootings that happened a few days after Hurricane Katrina struck.

In a court filing Monday, AP attorneys argue public interest in monitoring the case "cannot be overstated."

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt hasn't ruled on The Times-Picayune's Aug. 6 request to intervene in the case against five current or former police officers convicted in shootings on a New Orleans bridge after the August 2005 storm.

The Times-Picayune and AP seek access to sealed court filings and transcripts of closed-door hearings Engelhardt held after ordering federal authorities to investigate the source of leaked information about the case.