As mentioned in our previous post on the Phoenix New Times arrests, two Phoenix-area news organizations filed a motion on October 19 requesting the Arizona Superior Court to publicly release documents related to the New Times grand jury investigation, presumably including the subpoena that caused all the ruckus.

The First Amendment Center reported yesterday that the court ordered the release of the requested documents on Wednesday, October 24. According to the First Amendment Center's article, Judge Baca of the Superior Court indicated that release was appropriate in part because the New Times had reported the existence of the grand jury subpeona on October 18, and in part because "other documents in the file didn't need to be kept secret to protect the grand jury process and the matter was of public concern."

The CMLP applauds this move, which is sure to contribute to free and open debate about the subpoena, which plainly overstepped the legitimate bounds of prosecutorial inquiry.