An attempt by prosecutors and Conrad Black to have evidence about his case sealed indefinitely has failed, with a final refusal by the Supreme Court of Canada to hear the case “Conrad M. Black v. Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc.” The court turned down Black’s appeal of an Ontario Court of Appeal decision. The appeals court had agreed with lawyers for the Globe and Mail who argued the press ought to have standing
in proceedings such as Black’s case, and that access to material ought to be
guaranteed under the ‘open courts principle.’

Black, former press baron, chair of Hollinger International Inc. and the founder of the National Post, is serving a 6 1/2-year prison sentence in the U.S. for fraud and obstruction of justice. A Bloomberg story is here. The Globe and Mail said the supreme court’s decision “solidified an important triumph for press rights.”