In lawsuit over police transparency, groups ask for … more transparency

Montgomery County officials and the local police union planned to keep confidential their arguments in a lawsuit blocking the release of an officer’s disciplinary files. Union lawyers, with the county’s consent, asked a judge to seal legal briefs and hide the officer’s name — requests that the court granted. But several organizations that advocate for transparency have asked the judge to reconsider that decision in a case widely seen as an early test of Anton’s Law, passed by Maryland lawmakers last year to ensure public access to complaints of police misconduct. They’ve also asked for permission to intervene and make their own arguments in the case.