Helena, Mont. • A judge has ordered the conditional release of records about a University of Montana rape case to author Jon Krakauer after a four-year dispute that pitted student privacy against the public’s right to know the decisions their government agencies make.
But the legal wrangling likely isn’t over yet, and the records’ release to the public will be delayed beyond the judge’s May 23 deadline if Montana Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian appeals to the state Supreme Court.
The author of “Into the Air” and “Into the Wild” said Wednesday that he expects the commissioner’s office to appeal, but added that the yearslong delay in releasing the records does not diminish their importance.