Judge Orders Release of Sandy Hook 911 Calls

The 911 calls made during the Sandy Hook shooting will be unsealed next Wednesday, unless an appeal of the ruling proves successful. A Connecticut judge yesterday ordered their release, backing a Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission move despite opposition from state attorney Stephen Sedensky. The AP reports that it has been trying to obtain the recordings in part to examine the police response to the massacre.

The judge said the recordings are public, and he rejected arguments for keeping them sealed, saying that the release will help the public gauge the appropriateness of law enforcement's response. He pointed out that their release could "vindicate and support the professionalism and bravery of the first responders." Now, "the plaintiff and Newtown respondents [have] a short period of time to attempt to obtain appellate relief from this decision," the judge said, per CNN. If the recordings are released, the AP says it would review the content and determine what, if any, of it would meet its standards for publication. (More Sandy Hook Elementary School stories.)