By AP
Oklahoma City, OK – Okla. court's ruling allows more public access
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Supreme Court has scrapped a plan that would have allowed birth dates and home addresses to be excluded from public court documents.
The state's high court issued its new rule late Monday. It applies to district courts across the state.
The rule was developed as part of the high court's plan to develop a database that will allow the public online access to virtually every document filed in all 77 of the state's courthouses.
The new rule only allows those who file court documents to limit information on social security, taxpayer ID, financial account and driver's license numbers.
Oklahoma State University journalism professor and media expert Joey Senat described the court's new rule as a "victory for the public's need to know."