NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court will decide when, if ever, police investigative files are open to the public.
The Tennessean newspaper requested records in the case of former Vanderbilt football players charged with raping a fellow student in a dormitory. Metro Nashville Police denied the request.
On Thursday, attorneys for Nashville and the state told the Supreme Court that was the right decision. They said court rules protect the evidence in police files until after a trial and all appeals are complete.
Attorneys for the media organizations argued that court rules apply to only some police records, not all of them.
Attorneys for the victim argued that the court must also consider victims' rights. They said records that degrade the victim should never be released to the public, even after the trial.