Judge strikes down part of Missouri law restricting access to court records

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge has struck down parts of a Missouri law requiring redactions of many court records, including the names of all witnesses and victims involved in lawsuits and criminal proceedings. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a Moniteau County associate circuit judge has ruled Friday provisions of the 2023 law violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and part of the Missouri Constitution. Critics say the result of the 2023 measure was one of the most restrictive redaction laws in the U.S., preventing journalists, appellate lawyers and others from obtaining routine information, including the names of people killed in homicides. It wasn’t immediately clear if the state would appeal.