Atlanta Journal & Atlanta Constitution v. Long

Bell, Justice.

In this appeal the issue is whether the trial court correctly applied Uniform Superior Court Rule (USCR) 21. 253 Ga. 801, 832 (eff. July 1, 1985). USCR 21 provides that “[a]ll court records are public and are to be available for public inspection unless public access is limited by law or by the procedure set forth [in USCR 21].” Relying on Rule 21, the trial court prohibited public access to certain prejudgment records. We conclude that the superior court did not correctly apply Rule 21, and we therefore reverse.

This case began when one of the appellees, Vicki Long, filed suit…