A Middlesex County, New Jersey judge’s decision to unseal a $2.5 million verdict was met with approval from legal observers, who aren’t ready to criticize him too harshly for his initial decision to seal the verdict.

Lawyers who reviewed Superior Court Judge Thomas Buck’s handling of the verdict said the Nov. 8 sealing order was a mistake. But they hailed his Jan. 7 decision to make the verdict public based on a conclusion that the public right to access outweighed any interest of the parties in keeping the amount awarded under wraps.