Federal Court Orders
Information About Providers Be Unsealed
BATON ROUGE, LA - A federal court has lifted a prior
restraint imposed on Louisiana legislators and prominent national journalists
preventing access to and public discussion of information contained in court
records related to Louisiana abortion providers. While granting access to
numerous documents in June Medical Services, LLC V.s Phillips, the court
noted that much of what the abortion providers sought to keep sealed was
"an abuse of this process."
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, whose office has
fought tirelessly to defend Louisiana’s laws and to protect the public from
dangerous behavior, hailed the court action as a victory for transparency and
public safety.
"For too long, the public has been barred from critical
information relating to the safety of women and girls in Louisiana,” said Attorney
General Landry. “The State has fought for more open access; yet journalists and
elected officials alike were prohibited from accessing public facts only
because they had become part of the court’s record.”
“Today, that affront to our First Amendment is over,”
continued Attorney General Landry. “Now the public may be able to see the full
record in cases where abortion providers are seeking to minimize regulation
against a backdrop of documented health and safety violations, destruction of
medical records, and medical malpractice.”
Attorney General Landry also reiterated his commitment to
women’s health and safety. “Access should never be able to supersede
safety. I will continue to defend laws that ensure the health and safety of
women and girls from abortion providers in Louisiana who do not comply with the
laws and regulations of our State.”
The court order directs that some documents be
immediately unsealed, but provides plaintiffs with an opportunity to redact
other documents over the coming weeks.