Washington Supreme Court may curb epidemic of secrecy

Last week I mentioned the Seattle Times' effort to cast light on an alarming number of sealed cases in King County Superior Court. Thanks to public pressure, the state's highest court may soon shore up the rules against unnecessarily obscuring the labor of justice.

A Washington Supreme Court committee voted unanimously Monday for rule changes that would remove any doubt about how rarely court files should be sealed statewide.

Six of the court's nine justices sit on the committee, so the full court is expected to pass the changes when it meets Thursday. The justices have been considering amending the rules since last year.

Half a huzzah; we'll save the rest for the final word.