(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton offered the following statement today regarding the Vermont Supreme Court’s decision to allow former Vermont Governor and current DNC Chairman Howard Dean to keep his gubernatorial records sealed for an unprecedented 10 years.

“There is no justice in Vermont today.  The Vermont Supreme Court essentially ruled against its own precedent, and the rule of law, in a transparent effort to protect Howard Dean.  Once again, the public’s right to know was trumped by political considerations.  The question remains:  Why is Howard Dean refusing to allow public access to these documents?  What is he hiding?  Judicial Watch calls upon Dean to release his gubernatorial records.  Howard Dean needs to come clean to the American people.”

Background:  In 2003, after leaving office to run for President of the United States, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean struck a secret deal with the secretary of state to seal 93 boxes of gubernatorial records for an unprecedented 10 years.  Dean told reporters he shielded the records because, “We didn’t want anything embarrassing appearing in the papers at a critical time in any future endeavor.”  Dean reportedly confirmed this reasoning to his campaign aides.  Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit, noting that Dean’s political ambition is not a justifiable reason to secret government documents from the public.

For more information on Judicial Watch’s lawsuit against Howard Dean, please log on to JW’s Internet site, www.judicialwatch.org.

###