Allowing trial judges to seal search warrants issued in the course of a grand jury proceeding without explanation goes against the principle of open courts, an attorney representing a Pittsburgh television station said in an argument to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Walter DeForest of DeForest Koscelnik Yokitis & Berardinelli, arguing on behalf of his client, TV station WPXI, in In re 2014 Allegheny County Investigating Grand Jury, told the justices that failing to perform any test to weigh whether the search warrant should be sealed was problematic, and courts needed to perform some form of balancing test, such as the “experience and logic” test or the “government interest” test, before sealing the record.