A Lehigh County judge ordered that dozens of sealed court dockets tied to an interstate drug ring be opened to the public, saying most should have been unsealed weeks ago.

Judge Thomas Caffrey said he was unaware that the dockets hadn’t been made part of the public record until three Lehigh Valley media outlets — lehighvalleylive.com, LehighValleyNews.com and The Morning Call — petitioned the court to intervene.

Represented by the Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press (RCFP), the media groups argued the court was violating the First Amendment and the Pennsylvania Constitution by keeping the records secret.

The dockets, Caffrey said Tuesday, should have been unsealed weeks ago.

In public remarks from the bench, he said he would convene with Lehigh County’s other criminal cour

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