STATE SUPERIOR COURT RULES THAT WESTMORELAND COUNTY COURT WENT TOO FAR

The state Superior Court has ruled that Westmoreland County court went too far when it sealed the contents of court dockets. A Westmoreland County judge had ordered that arrest information in the case be sealed in the criminal case of Keven Van Lam, who was accused of hiring a hitman to kill a business associate. The judge says he wanted to protect information about the identities of co-defendants. But news outlets protested, saying the move restricted court openness. The Superior Court late last week determined that the county court acted correctly in sealing the arrest warrant but should not have sealed the docket information too.