A Hennepin County judge ordered that the public may make copies of exhibits from the trial of ex-Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor, although some police body camera videos that captured the aftermath of Justine Ruszczyk Damond's fatal shooting must be altered.
Other evidence presented in the trial of Noor, who killed Damond in 2017, can be copied as it was shown in court, Judge Kathryn Quaintance wrote in an order issued Wednesday.
Five body camera videos of the crime scene must be redacted by state officials to blur Damond's face, partial nudity and her vocalizations immediately after she was shot.
A coalition of media partners last week asked the judge to allow both public viewing and copying of the approximately 300 trial exhibits.
Noor's monthlong trial and the weeks afterward have been marked by extensive legal fights over public access between the court and media coalition.
The judge gave the state until June 10 to produce the altered videos. The unaltered versions of the videos and all other evidence presented at trial will be made available for public viewing Friday.
"The Court acknowledges that there is a presumption in favor of copying exhibits received in the course of a criminal trial," the judge wrote.
But, the judge noted, the court also has to protect against the misuse of evidence and has to "maintain the integrity of the trial exhibits for any appellate review or other future proceeding."