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	US Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Bridgeport Diocese; Sex-Abuse Files Must Be Disclosed Catholic Culture October 5, 2009 http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4237 The US Supreme Court has declined to issue an emergency stay of a Connecticut court order requiring the Diocese of Bridgeport to release files related to sex-abuse cases. The files, which have been the focus of a 7-year court battle, will now apparently be made public. Since 2002, the Bridgeport diocese has been fighting against the efforts of four newspapers to gain access to files that were sealed after a 2001 settlement with sex-abuse victims. The files, including over 12,000 pages of documentation, show how the diocese handled complaints about sexual abuse by priests, dating back to the tenure of Bishops Edward Egan-- who would later become the cardinal-archbishop of New York-- and Walter Curtis. The Bridgeport diocese has argued that public disclosure of the files would compromise the religious freedom of the Church. Connecticut's highest court has twice rejected that argument; the Supreme Court, by refusing to issue a temporary stay of the state court's ruling, signaled that it will probably decline to hear the case. In a statement responding to the Supreme Court decision, the Bridgeport diocese effectively conceded that the case has been decided, referring to "the sealed documents soon to be released." The diocesan statement referred to the legal outcome as "regrettable," saying that the "the First Amendment rights of all churches and the rightful privacy of all litigants remain in jeopardy."
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