A Lehigh County judge heard arguments Thursday regarding efforts to unseal court documents detailing charges against at least 22 defendants charged in an alleged interstate drug ring.

Judge Thomas Capehart did not immediately rule whether the motion — filed jointly on behalf of lehighvalleylive.com , LehighValleyNews.com and The Morning Call — should proceed in criminal court, remain in civil court or be dismissed.

Paula Knudsen Burke, an attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) who is representing the media groups, presented Capehart with case law that would allow the motion to proceed in civil court.

She said she would not object if the matter was moved to criminal court; she filed the motion as instructed by the Lehigh County Clerk of Court’s offic

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