Judge Seals Idaho Prison Report
State prison off
icials say a report on health care and other conditions at an Idaho prison is so inflammatory that it must remain sealed. U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill appointed a correctional health care expert to see if Idaho is complying with a ruling in a long -running lawsuit brought by inmates at the Idaho State Correctional Institution. Marc Stern's report was filed under seal last month, and the judge ordered attorneys on both sides to review the document to see if any information should be redacted to protect health privacy concerns. Though they agreed no such redactions were needed, the state says the report should be sealed anyway because the public could mistakenly believe it amounted to the opinion of the court, leading to an "unjustified public scandal." A hearing on the matter is set for Thursday afternoon.