Keep it open: Deals made with defendants should be accessible

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September 17, 2008

[edit] Keep it open: Deals made with defendants should be accessible

"We understand Utah federal courts' concern for the safety of defendants who cooperate with authorities. But a proposed rule to conceal "cooperation agreements," which are now part of electronic court records, is too broad and violates the public's right to see public records.

The rule would create a separate entry attached to each online case docket called "Supplemental Information." It could contain a cooperation agreement - or not. Nobody would know exactly what it contained, because it would not be accessible to the public or to reporters."

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