Milwaukee Journal v. Call

In this public records case, we revisit the question raised in Journal/Sentinel, Inc. v. Aagerup, 145 Wis. 2d 818, 429 N.W.2d 772 (Ct. App. 1988), of what documents may be properly withheld from the public in an unresolved murder investigation. We hold that in this case the trial court did not properly evaluate the sufficiency of the custodians' reasons for denying the Milwaukee Journal access to the documents it sought. We reverse and remand to give the trial court an opportunity to do so.

In July of 1987, Tara Kassens was found dead, presumably the victim of a homicide. No one has yet been…