On September 17, the Alliance signed onto an amicus brief arguing that Google’s amended complaint in its antitrust lawsuit against Texas should be made publicly available. Judge Castel in the Southern District of New York asked the parties to show why the complaint should not be publicly filed without redaction. The brief argues that both the First Amendment and common law favor transparency and public access to the litigation filings. While Google claims large amounts of its complaint is “highly confidential,” the law shows a presumption against redaction in the public interest and requires any redactions to be narrowly tailored.
Natalie Seales is a First Amendment Law and Policy Fellow at the News Media Alliance.
